PAUL DONOVAN is chilled by the contemporary resonance of Harper Lee’s coming of age tale amidst racism and white supremacy in this excellent production
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Quality left-wing fiction makes its mark
This has been a rich year for left-wing fiction, both realist and surrealist.
GEOFF BOTTOMS recommends the unashamedly light-hearted escapism on offer in this stage version of the 1963 film
Full of mysterious religious references and radical sound design, the Scottish duo’s new offering is candidate for album of the year, suggests SIMON DUFF
MARY CONWAY revels in a powerful reminder that human lives are not defined by physical perfection
PAUL DONOVAN recommends the fine performances in this account of the pre-war meeting between the US president and the British king
TECLYN AROD relishes an intimate celebration of jazz improvisation that mixes local and national musicians
Two of the most outstanding novels over the past 12 months were set in the Americas but were far apart both in location and period.
John Wight's Dreams that Die is a sharp-toothed and candid account of the author's ultimately failed attempt to make it big in Hollywood as a screenwriter, which documents his and other film workers' struggles to get by on the extras circuit.
But Wight's dying film career memorably contrasts with his growing political awakening and involvement in the anti-war movement in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
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19.01.1930-23.04.2026
Kate Clark pays tribute to Ricardo, whose life spanned the hopes of Allende’s Chile, the horrors of military dictatorship and decades of campaigning for justice in exile
PETER MASON is gripped by a novel that confronts corporate callousness with those prepared to act to bring about change
KEN COCKBURN relishes the memoir of a translator, but wonders whether the autobiography underlying the impulse would make a better book
ANDY HEDGECOCK relishes an exuberant blend of emotion and analysis that captures the politics and contrarian nature of the French composer