The Week 22Feb2020

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22 February 2020 THE WEEK

The List

Showingnow

Followingits acclaimedrun inStratford, John

Kani’sKuneneandthe King,a“poignant

dramaaboutcontemporarySouth Africa”, has

openedin theWest End. Kanionce againstars

alongside AntonySher(FT).Until 28March,

Ambassadors Theatre, London WC2 (atg.co.uk).

Taking in everythingfromwatercolours by

Beatrix Potter toamycelium chairdesigned by

Tom Dixon,Mushrooms: The Art, Design

and Future ofFungiexploresevery aspect of

the humbleorganism.Until 26April, Somerset

House, London WC2 (somersethouse.org.uk).

Book now

Young RembrandtThis exhibition of paintings,

drawings andprintsfromthe first decade of

Rembrandt’s career shows“anambitious

teenagerbecomingone of thegreatestmasters”

(Times). 27February-7June,Ashmolean

Museum, Oxford(ashmolean.org).

Tickets arenow onsale foreventsat this year’s

StratfordLiterary Festival.Headliners

include Hilary Mantel,RoryBremner and

LemnSissay,while AardmanAnimations

will runmodelling workshops for children.

9-17 May,variousvenues,Stratford-Upon-Avon

(stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk).

Just out in paperback

Late in the Dayby Tessa Hadley(Vintage

£8.99).Anovel aboutthe crosscurrents and

unspent passions inagroup of fourfriends and

lovers. Setafterthe deathofone,italsotravels

back in timetoa“glorious adulterousday”

in Venice. Hadleyisthe “real deal”(Times).

TheGuidebyR.K.Narayan,

1958 (Penguin£5.85).Raju,

anex-convictmistakenfora

godmanbygulliblevillagers

andpamperedwithfoodand

respect,beginstowonderwhy

heshouldn’ttrytobecomea

realsaint:andendsupfasting

todeath.Althoughheisoften

patronisedbyliterarycritics,

Narayanwrotethedefining

allegoryofmodernIndia;the

novelalsoinspiredagorgeous

Hindifilm.

InanAntiqueLandby

AmitavGhosh,1 992 (Granta

£9.99).Icouldpickanywork

byGhosh,India’sleading

candidateforaNobelprizein

literature,topraise,butthis

earlynon-fiction book,which

blendedanthropology,

autobiographyandhistorical

researchinastunningnew

way,showedyoungIndian

writersthatjustaboutanything

wasnowpossibleforus.

WakeinFrightbyKenneth

Cook, 1961 (TextPublishing

£8.99).Youdon’thaveto

wakeupinapubsomewhere

inAustraliawithahangover

andnoclearnotionofhow

yougottheretoappreciatethis

littlemasterpiece,butIfound

thatitreallyhelped.Kenneth

Cook’sterrifyingnovelabout

ayoungteacher’slostweekend

intheOutbackwasalsoturned

intoafamousAustralianfilm.

TheRomanticsbyPankaj

Mishra, 1999 (Picador

£10.99).Mishra’shaunting

Bildungsromanguidesyou

throughtheancientmysteries

ofVaranasi,themostsacred

ofHinducities,andleavesyou

ponderinganewone:whyon

earthhasthemanneveragain

publishedanovel?

TheBestPoemsofthe

EnglishLanguage:From

ChaucerThroughRobert

FrosteditedbyHaroldBloom,

2007 (HarperCollins£14.99).

Themostmemorablepoet ry

inhereisoftenBloom’sown,

aswhenhecontemplatesthe

“manyenigmas”ofKipling,

orthe“cognitiveoriginality”

ofEmerson;andwhobuta

verygreatcriticwouldfindthe

keytoMarvell’smetaphysics in

thefactthathe likedgardening

anddrinkingbyhimself.

Bestbooks... Aravind Adiga

The BookerPrize-winningnovelistchooseshis favourite books. Hisnew

novel,Amnesty–aGuardianandFinancial Times2020 fiction pick–isout

now, published by Picadorat £16.99

The Week’s guide to what’s worth seeing and reading

Hamish Pearch’s Cochlea Brick Tuft

Television

Programmes

LastTangoinHalifax

SallyWainwright’sbeloved

comedy-dramareturnsforits

fifthseries.Sevenyearsinto

theirmarriage,AlanandCelia

aren’tseeingeyetoeye.Sun

23 Feb,BBC121:00(60mins).

Murder24/7Threemurders

areinvestigatedinrealtime

andextremedetailinthis

newseries,filmedwithEssex

Police.Partonefollowsthe

caseofCourtneyValentine-

Brown,whowasstabbedinan

evictiongonewrong.Mon 24

Feb,BBC121:00(60mins).

FleshandBloodFour-parter

aboutadultsiblingswhoare

thrownintoturmoilwhentheir

widowedmotherfindsanew

man.RussellTovey,Imelda

StauntonandStephenRea

star.Mon24,Tue25,Wed 26

andThur 27 Feb,ITV121:00

(60minseach).

TheWindsorsThe royal

family are charged with

cheering up the country after

Brexit in the new season of the

satirical soap. Tue 25 Feb, C4

22:00 (30mins).

TheTruthAbout...

TakeawaysScience

documentary exploring the

effects of regular takeaway

consumption on the body and

the brain. Thur 27 Feb, BBC1

20:00 (60mins).

Films

Bridgeof Spies(2015)

StevenSpielberg directs this

fact-inspired thriller about spy

exchange during the Cold War,

with Tom Hanks and Mark

Rylance. Fri 28 Feb, Film4

18:00 (180mins).

TheBig Sick(2017) Sweet

romcom aboutaMuslim

comedian who gets caught up

with his ex-girlfriend’s family

after she falls intoacoma. Fri

28 Feb, BBC2 23:05 (115mins).

Titles in print are available from The Week Bookshop on 020-3176 3835. For out-of-print books visit biblio.co.uk

New to Sky

TheEndHarriet Walter

brings “humanity, humour

and grace” to her role as

adepressed widow and

mother in this Australian

drama about the right to die

(Guardian). On Sky Atlantic.

Curb YourEnthusiasm,the

semi-autobiographical sitcom

created by “irascible antihero”

Larry David has made another

“uproarious comeback”

(Telegraph). On Sky Comedy.

The Archers:what happened last week
Alistair is nervous about his upcoming review and Jakob advises him on selling more herd-health
packages. Lynda tells Brian she has enlisted Tracy to spy on The B’s Valentine event, but Tracy’s
also acting asadouble-agent for Jolene. At Brookfield, Alistair pitchesaherd-health package: Ruth
is keen but David is wary. Freddie and Ben are worried about Johnny, who has become obsessed
with working out and refuses to come out for Valentine’s night. Chris inadvertently congratulates
astunned Jakobonimpending fatherhood. Emma asks Tracy whose side she’s really on, the
ReBulls’ or The B’s? Neither, says Tracy. Emma also reveals she’s going foradrink with Gavin next
week. David tells Alistair they’ve agreed to take the package; meanwhile Shula and Alistair notice
that Jakob is out of sorts. At the Grey Gables gym, Freddie finds pills in Johnny’s bag. Lynda finds
them arguing, but thinks Freddie is trying to sell drugs. When Kenton and Jolene discover Tracy’s
duplicity, it’s all-out war with Lynda. Jakob comes clean to Alistair.
©COURTESY OF THE ARTIST