News

Katie da Cunha LewinA Fish in the Stream The Years, Annie Ernaux, Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2018, 240pp, £12.99 (paperback)Happening, Annie Ernaux, Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2019, 96pp, £8.99 (paperback) What does it mean to make your life the subject of your writing? For French writer Annie Ernaux, this is a complex question that goes well beyond simple narration, plot or emotional truth, but to...

Naomi MorrisHyperlove The two pieces below are reproduced with permission from the closing stages of Hyperlove by Naomi Morris (Makina Books, September 2021). Hyperlove burns with frustration and fervour as Morris explores heteronormative ideals, romantic happily-ever-afters and the historical oppression of women and their right to agency and expression. Yet Hyperlove isn’t constrained to a sense of personal storytelling. In...

The text below is a translated extract from Ricochets by Camille Emmanuelle. Ricochets opens on 7 January 2015, as Camille accompanies her husband Luz—cartoonist for Charlie Hebdo—to his first psychiatric appointment following the terrorist attacks that took place earlier that day. In this book, Camille Emmanuelle conducts both a personal and journalistic investigation into an under-appreciated domain of post-traumatic stress, something...

Suey KweonMapping Chillies My mother used to lay out her chillies to dry from around August time each year on the pavements that lined the tower blocks of apartments. The best real estate was naturally the concrete road which was dark and absorbed the hard sun most robustly, but it was hard to find enough of this space where cars...

Joan BrossaEl saltamartí / The Tumbler Joan Brossa creates distilled excitement. He is both wise and wild. His poems are surreal and matter-of-fact, playful and minimalist and utterly original. In his ability to make it new, Brossa is an essential modern poet.         — Colm Tóibín Following the publication of the first release from Tenement Press—a new publisher formed by...

'Women are Expected to Tell Their Personal Story all the Time': In Conversation with Eimear McBride   Promoting and showcasing Irish writing has become an increasingly important part of the cultural programme at the Irish Cultural Centre. From 15-17 October the centre launched its inaugural ICC Literary Festival, welcoming an exceptional line-up of successful Irish writers, including Colm Tóibín, Eimear  McBride, Dermot Bolger...

Katie da Cunha LewinThe Water We Were All Swimming In The Inland Sea, Madeleine Watts, Pushkin Press, 2021, 256pp, £8.99 (paperback) The Weak Spot, Lucie Elven, Prototype, 2021, 176pp, £12.00 (paperback) In a conversation in Granta magazine with Lucie Elven, Madeleine Watts observes that ‘Young women are used as vessels for a lot of cultural baggage, and encountering that baggage growing up...

Simon OkotieRoyal Families   The death of Ikenwoli Godfrey Emiko – the King (or Olu) of Warri – was announced in the same week as that of Prince Philip. Established in the fifteenth century by the Itsekiris, an ethnic group in the Niger Delta area of modern-day Nigeria, the realm is an offshoot of the Kingdom of Benin. Rumours had been...

Ted Hodgkinson on the London Literature Festival This year, the London Literature Festival (Southbank Centre, 21-31 October) is drawing inspiration from Sally Rooney’s debut novel, Conversations with Friends, to dive into the joy and meaning friendship brings to our lives, as well as the challenges of maintaining our closest relationships.  Leading authors, scientists, comedians and artists will explore the many dimensions of...

Trailblazing a Path to Paradise The Dante Project, The Royal Opera House, 14-30 October 2021 Wayne McGregor has never been shy in taking on literary greats. In 2015, the no-holds-barred resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet, premiered Woolf Works, a three-act ballet based on the works of Virginia Woolf (Mrs Dalloway, Orlando and The Waves). His fearlessly abstract approach ruffled traditionalist...

Luke Lewin DaviesJennifer Jennifer watched the ending of the film, with the man we had been told to hate surprising everyone by saving the child. This followed by the sequence of trees shooting past a train window. Its language had been clear to her. She hadn’t enjoyed the film that much – but the message was plain: to hate the man...

Eric BlockAcoris Andipa on Banksy The Andipa family have been recognised in the art world since 1593 but their venerability does not necessarily mean their art dealing is equally antiquated. Now located in Knightsbridge, London, they are recognised as specialists in the trade of Banksy works. As Banksy sales hit the news once more, Andipa Gallery are putting six works...

COLOMBIAN EDITION 2021 - FINAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS AND WRITER ANNOUNCEMENT We announced in April this year that we are pleased to announce a special upcoming Colombian Edition of the magazine to showcase Colombia's literary, artistic and historical culture. The Colombian Edition will be printed in English for a London launch, while a version will also be printed in Spanish, to...

Eric Block AnnaLeaClelia Tunesi on 'Archaeology Goes Pop' In her latest exhibition ‘Archaeology Goes Pop’, Italian ceramicist AnnaLeaClelia Tunesi’s vivid pots stand out for the way they bring together both brightly coloured modernity, and her ancient, yet experimental style of creating them. Opening at 508 Gallery, Kings Road on the 20 September, I had the chance to talk to AnnaLeaClelia a little...

Want to win tickets to Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre in the West End? Well, you've come to the right place!  Inspired by a true story, Everybody's Talking About Jamie is the award-winning hit musical for today - bang up to date, more relevant than ever and specially updated for the times we live in. Jamie New is sixteen and lives...

Andrew GallixA Lonely Man by Chris Power & Ghosted: A Love Story by Jenn Ashworth   A Lonely Man, Chris Power, Faber & Faber, 2021, 320pp, £14.99 (hardback) Ghosted: A Love Story, Jenn Ashworth, Sceptre, 2021, 304pp, £16.99 (hardback) In Victorian Hauntings (2002), Julian Wolfreys observes that telling a story always opens up a space through which ‘something other returns’, thereby drawing the conclusion that...

THE LONDON MAGAZINE NEEDS YOU! Here at The London Magazine, we are having a bit of a rebrand and we’d like to invite you to be a part of it. Since our popular tote bags have recently sold out, we decided this would be the perfect time to rejuvenate. So, we are holding a competition to celebrate your artistic...

Ian BrintonIsobar Press: A Canvas of Language In an article for PN Review in December 2014 Paul Rossiter gave an account of how he came to set up Isobar Press in Japan. Under the title ‘The Weather in Tokyo’ the article gave an account of the tradition of British and American poets living in Japan, a tradition which included of...

The London Magazine Short Story prize 2020/21 awards first place to Fernando Sdrigotti, after his short story ‘Pier’ impressed our panel of judges during this year’s competition. The response this year was overwhelming, and we would like to thank everyone who entered the competition. Submissions were read anonymously by our panel of judges, David Keenan (This is Memorial Device, For...

COLOMBIAN EDITION 2021 - CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS For its special upcoming Colombian Edition for 2021, the year of Colombia and the UK, The London Magazine, with the support of Hay Festivals Colombia, is pleased to call for submissions in a wide range of forms to showcase Colombia’s literary, artistic and historical culture.  We are interested in Non-Fiction (Essays), Short Fiction and Poetry of the highest...

In 2019, travel photographer Christopher Wilton-Steer spent four months retracing the Silk Road, the historic trade route. Over a period of four months, he travelled 40,000 km overland by car, bus, train, ferry, horse and camel, traversing sixteen countries. He began his journey from London’s King’s Cross, where the show is staged (8th April 2021 until 16th June). The exhibition, which is sponsored by the Aga Khan Foundation and presented in partnership with King’s Cross [...]

Submissions are now CLOSED for The London Magazine's Short Story Prize 2021.  The London Magazine has published short stories by some of the most well-respected literary figures over the course of its long history, from Jean Rhys to Raymond Carver and V.S. Pritchett. Our annual Short Story Competition seeks out new voices to join them. Established to encourage emerging literary talent,...

The London Magazine Prize for Debut Fiction 2020, now in its third year, has been awarded to Nicole Flattery for Show Them a Good Time, a short story collection which puts a contemporary twist on dark humour. Matthew Scott, co-editor of The London Magazine, praised the author for her keen observational approach to short fiction, commenting how “Flattery observes common events...

The London Magazine Poetry Prize 2020 awards first place to Rosamund Taylor, for her poem 'The Proof', as part of its annual competition. Steven O'Brien, co-editor of The London Magazine, praised ‘The Proof’ for being “apt, polished and daring”, commenting further that “Rosumund Taylor's urgent, gem-like winning submission shows that the great linguistic machine of poetry still thrives. “Congratulations also go to the second and third prize winners Toby Campion [...]