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  1. Culture
28 December 2016

Best of the NS: Arts

Our best pieces from the past year. In this selection, our favourite writing on the arts.

By New Statesman

Shakespeare, our contemporary: the Bard 400 years later

Credit: Martin O’Neill for New Statesman

By Howard Jacobson, Will Self, Germaine Greer, Imogen Stubbs, Simon Callow, James Shapiro, Colm Toibin, Rowan Williams, Andrew Marr, Daljit Nagra.

To mark the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death, our contributors nominate the works that speak most urgently to the 21st century.

Jon Bon Jovi on Trump, Bono, Bieber — and the agony of his split with Richie Sambora

By Kate Mossman

I should have cancelled but there was not a chance in hell. The shit I went through on that last tour. I have earned this grey hair.”

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Marina Abramović turned attention seeking into a modern art form

By Julie Burchill

Reading Abramović’s memoir is rather like watching EastEnders: I didn’t learn anything about performance art reading it, but I can’t deny I had fun.

Credit: Cameron Law for New Statesman

Death of the hatchet job


By D J Taylor

Book reviewing used to be a blood sport. How has it become so benign and polite?

He gave a total stranger $50,000 in cash: the strange, multi-million dollar empire of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

By Kate Mossman

Kate Mossman meets the man behind one of the world’s wealthiest rock bands.

Seasons change, Gilmores stay the same

By Anna Leszkiewicz

Gilmore Girls is fundamentally about two things: inheritance and community. The four seasons are crucial in exploring those themes.

It’s unfashionable to call someone a “genius” – but William Empson was one

By John Gray

Father than denying the contradictoriness of being human, Empson revelled in it, as The Face of Buddha reveals.

How Frankenstein became a monster – and what he means to us today

By Frances Wilson

Monstrous Progeny invites us to reflect on two hundred years of a prolific, and horrific, creation.

Credit: Tate

Paul Nash: the modernity of ancient landscapes

By Michael Prodger

Famous for his eerie First World War paintings, a new exhibition reminds us why Paul Nash was the greatest British artist of the first half of the 20th century.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a man – especially if you overthink it

By Steven Poole

A new outpouring of books show masculinity isn’t in crisis, human beings are.

Why the British addiction to period drama is driving away our best black and Asian actors

By Andrew Dickon

There is a diversity crisis in British TV and film as, increasingly, stars are decamping to America to make their career there.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
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