‘The real merit of British painting is that it is at its best romantic, unclassical, particular, fanatical, self-obsessed and the result of close observation in a misty country that has longish winter evenings.’
A survey of British painters in 1961.
Archive | Gore Vidal: Puritan Moralist
‘I have the sense that Vidal is frequently accused of cruelty when, in fact, he is simply being candid, a quality not greatly appreciated in a literary community which tends to view all criticism as conspiratorial or personally motivated.’
From 1981, an interview with Gore Vidal.
Archive | The Belfry by R. S. Thomas
‘I have seen it standing up, grey, / Gaunt, as though no sunlight / Could ever thaw out the music / Of its great bell; terrible / In its own way, for religion / Is like that.’
From 1963, poetry by R. S. Thomas.
Fiction | Coral by Joseph Pierson
‘Jesus doesn’t cure her, she cures herself. But if there were no Jesus for her to believe in then she couldn’t cure herself. I find that very powerful. There is a synergy there close to paradox but not quite.’
New short fiction by Joseph Pierson.
Review | Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood
‘Lockwood is taking the real and slipping it through genres in her efforts to capture it, resulting in a portrayal more authentic than straight fiction or memoir.’
Oonagh Devitt Tremblay reviews Patricia Lockwood’s latest novel, Will There Ever Be Another You.
Archive | Iris Murdoch, informally
‘A novelist working well and honestly, and only saying what he knows and what he understands, will in fact tell a lot of important truths about his society. This is why tyrannical societies are often frightened of novelists.’
From June 1968, an interview with Iris Murdoch.
Essay | Scanty Plot of Ground by Paul Muldoon
‘The ongoing capacity of the sonnet to allow for both chaos and control is one that will ensure its viability even in our increasingly fractious and factional of times.’
Paul Muldoon on the sonnet.
Review | The Quest for Satisfaction by Lee Hatsumi Mayer
‘Satisfaction, the novel suggests, is commingled: it is either heightened or diluted by the emotions of those around you.’
Lee Hatsumi Mayer reviews Kathy Wang’s The Satisfaction Cafe.
Archive | Families and Friends: A Conversation in Rome with Natalia Ginzburg
‘I have always written in the first person. I find it extremely difficult to use the third person because we are all, deep down, incurable individualists.’
From 1985, an interview with Natalia Ginzburg.
Interview | The Expansion Project: An Interview with Ben Pester
‘I remember being cross at work when Google were getting rid a bit of software and the announcement said Google is “sunsetting” this product. Sunsetting! You can’t have the sunset.’
Joseph Williams speaks to Ben Pester.
Essay | The Aesthetic Life by Zsófia Paulikovics
‘Several broadly millennial acquaintances confess that reading the book made them feel a sort of sickening recognition.’
Zsófia Paulikovics on Perfection and Allegro Pastel.
Essay | No Designated Venue: An Oral History of London’s Music and Poetry Scenes
Yasmina Snyder spoke to writers, poets, musicians and event organisers based in London about the connections between live music and poetry, and the spaces that host them.
Essay | Why Magazines Fail by Tristram Fane Saunders
‘There’s big trouble in the world of little magazines. In the last two years, an alarming number have vanished into that second-hand bookshop in the sky. Each leaves the world a little quieter, a little poorer.’
Tristram Fane Saunders on ‘little magazines’.
New Issue and Tote Bag Bundle
With the new issue and tote bag bundle, save 20% on the cost of our October/ November 2025 issue and the bespoke TLM tote. The latest issue includes short fiction by Booker Prize winner Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, an essay by Tristram Fane Saunders on why magazines fail, an oral history piece on London’s live music and poetry scene and, as always,…
£20.00
Podcast
On The London Magazine podcast, we speak to brilliant writers, poets and artists about their craft, inspiration and career so far. New episodes every month.
Podcast | Ann Goldstein
Ann Goldstein discusses the oxymoron of the ‘celebrated translator’, her early encounters with Italian through Dante and the story of how she became Ferrante’s translator. Goldstein reflects on Ferrante’s unique syntax and style, as well as the broader challenges of Italian–English translation.
Podcast | Gurnaik Johal
‘This is where I say to any budding writers out there: write historical fiction!’
Gurnaik Johal on The London Magazine Podcast.
Podcast | Leo Robson
‘One of the things that the novel is about is different forms of chronology that we mark things by.’
Leo Robson on The London Magazine Podcast.
Archive
The London Magazine has a publication history spanning almost three hundred years, and has featured work by some of the most prominent names in literature, from John Keats to Hilary Mantel. In this curated selection, we share our favourite pieces from the TLM archive.
Archive | The Predicament of International Style: British Painters in 1961
‘The real merit of British painting is that it is at its best romantic, unclassical, particular, fanatical, self-obsessed and the result of close observation in a misty country that has longish winter evenings.’
A survey of British painters in 1961.
Archive | Gore Vidal: Puritan Moralist
‘I have the sense that Vidal is frequently accused of cruelty when, in fact, he is simply being candid, a quality not greatly appreciated in a literary community which tends to view all criticism as conspiratorial or personally motivated.’
From 1981, an interview with Gore Vidal.
Archive | The Belfry by R. S. Thomas
‘I have seen it standing up, grey, / Gaunt, as though no sunlight / Could ever thaw out the music / Of its great bell; terrible / In its own way, for religion / Is like that.’
From 1963, poetry by R. S. Thomas.
