Onwards and upwards: music, film, art and more to inspire change
Sometimes life becomes a little stale. From upbeat pop to teenage last hurrahs, our critics have the moodboard for forging a fresh path
Nonfiction to look out for in 2023
From insights into siblings and anorexia, via the stories of trailblazing women and Boris Johnson’s time at No 10, here are the titles that will define the year
2023 in books: highlights for the year ahead
The best fiction and nonfiction to look forward to in the new year, from Zadie Smith to Simon Schama, Margaret Atwood to Rory Stewart
Ann Mactaggart obituary
Other lives: Teacher and accomplished seamstress who became well known for the restoration of harpsichords
Bah, humbug: anti-Christmas treats for the tinseled-out
From a beach comedy movie to people-free abstract art, our critics offer cultural escapes for those who’ve already had enough festive spirit
Iced gems: art, books, music and more to keep the home fires burning this winter
From storm-tossed seascapes to skating on the Thames, our cultural critics select wintry wonders for the season’s dark days
Geoffrey Elborn obituary
Other lives: Biographer who studied the life of Edith Sitwell and also wrote a history of vodka
Transformer by Simon Doonan review – a walk on the wild side
The former creative director of Barney’s remembers a beautifully transgressive moment in pop culture
Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol review – humbug hoedown
Parton’s music is as warming as ever but a snowfall of schmaltz and minimal menace make this Dickens adaptation sickly sweet
Kindred spirits: books, music, art and more about seeing family
From an unconventional depiction of maternal holiness to weird, festive murder-thrillers, our critics select culture for coping with the clan
On my radar: Colm Tóibín’s cultural highlights
The Irish writer on New York’s hidden music scene, poetry and the wonders of Peru
Huge decline of working class people in the arts reflects fall in wider society
Study shows the proportion of musicians, writers and artists with working-class origins has shrunk by half since the 1970s
‘You don’t have to be Bono or Bruce’: the business behind the current glut of music books
In 2022, you can’t budge for new music memoirs and scene histories. But who’s reading them, where’s the quality control – and the diversity?
The Woolf pack: Renée Fleming and Joyce DiDonato on turning The Hours into opera
The Pulitzer-prize-winning, Mrs Dalloway-influenced novel about three generations of women, has finally hit the stage. Its stars tell us how they pulled it off
A bit of rough: books, music, art and more to help with a hangover
You’ve had a big one, but what goes up must come down. From gentle piano to breezy laughs, our critics offer salves for sore heads