ARTS 31
28 May 2022 THE WEEKThe List
Showing now
“Land and landscape, and the difference
between them” is the subject of Radical
Landscapes, a wide-ranging exhibition of 150
works taking in everything from Constable to
a Greenham Common banner, by way of Derek
Jarman and Tacita Dean (Observer). Until 4
September, Tate Liverpool (tate.org.uk).
Anne-Marie Duff is “a force-of-nature presence”
in The House of Shades, Beth Steel’s state-of-
the-nation drama. Focusing on the fortunes of
a working-class family over five decades, it is
“a rich mix of the personal and political” (Daily
Telegraph). Until 18 June, Almeida Theatre,
London N1 (almeida.co.uk).
David Hockney’s vibrant series of 220 drawings,
A Year in Normandie – which he made on an
iPad during the 2020 lockdown – goes on display
as a 90m mural in his native Bradford. Until 18
September, Salts Mill, Saltaire (saltsmill.org.uk).
Book now
Sam Brown directs an ambitious new theatrical
staging of Wagner’s final opera, Parsifal, for
Opera North; it is conducted by Richard Farnes.
1-10 June, Leeds Grand Theatre; then touring
nationwide until 26 June (operanorth.co.uk).The month-long Essex Book Festival returns
to eclectic venues across the county – including
a foot ferry and a Tudor palace. More than
250 speakers are taking part, including authors
Patrick Gale, Maggie Gee, Blake Morrison and
Lindsey Davis. 1-30 June, various venues
(essexbookfestival.org.uk).In Cold Blood by Truman
Capote, 1965 (Penguin
£9.99). When I read this book
at university, as I dreamed
of becoming a journalist, it
stopped me in my tracks.
Capote’s ambition was
storytelling with “a narrative
form that employed all the
techniques of fictional art, but
is immaculately factual”.
Fighting France: From
Dunkerque to Belfort by
Edith Wharton, 1915
(Hesperus Press £8.99). When
I immersed myself in this, on
a long train journey, I kept
pausing to absorb the beauty
of Wharton’s prose, her sharp
imagery of WWI battlefields.
I was in Syria a lot then,
reporting on its war; so much
was much the same. Wharton’s
writing was also a reminder of
the battle for women then just
to get to the frontlines. Freedom at Midnight by
Larry Collins and Dominique
LaPierre, 1975 (HarperCollins
£14.99). I read this book,
about the 1947 partition of
India, when I was the BBC
correspondent in Pakistan. It’s
my favourite genre of history
book – stories about the people
who make history.The Cure at Troy by Seamus
Heaney, 1990 (Faber £10.99).
From my first journey, I’ve
carried Heaney’s poem Elegy,
with its line: “The way we are
living, / timorous or bold, / will
have been our life.” This bookcarries my anthem for hope
even in the darkest of times.In Extremis: The Life of War
Correspondent Marie Colvin
by Lindsey Hilsum, 2018
(Vintage £10.99). Marie was
a fellow traveller. Lindsey is
a close friend. A book about
what drove Marie, what drives
many journalists, to take risks
to tell stories of our time. My Pen is the Wing of a
Bird: New Fiction by Afghan
Women, 2022 (MacLehose
Press £12). An anthology of
powerful stories, drawn from
real lives, written by Afghan
women in their own languages,
and beautifully translated
for us. I was honoured to
write the foreword. Best books... Lyse Doucet
The BBC’s chief international correspondent chooses six books that have
shaped her thinking about journalism and storytelling. She is writing her
first book and is speaking at the Hay Festival on 3 June (hayfestival.com)
The Week’s guide to what’s worth seeing
Radical Landscapes at Tate LiverpoolTelevision
Programmes
Midsomer Murders:
25 Years of Mayhem
Documentary celebrating
25 years of the cosy crime
drama, and the many stars
(and stars to be) that have
turned up in it. Sun 29 May,
ITV1 19:00 (60mins).Elizabeth: The Unseen
Queen The jubilee
celebrations kick off with
the story of the Queen,
featuring never-before-seen
home movies. Sun 29 May,
BBC1 19:45 (75mins).Ghosts in the Ruins Nitin
Sawhney’s site-specific
response to Britten’s War
Requiem is performed in
Coventry Cathedral, to mark
its 60th anniversary. Sun 29
May, BBC4 20:00 (60mins).Two Daughters Mina
Smallman, the retired
archdeacon whose daughters
were killed in a park in London
in 2020, tells Stacey Dooley
how her faith helped her
cope with their murder, and
the police response to it. Sun
29 May, BBC2 21:00 (60mins).Horizon: Making Sense
of Cancer with Hannah
Fr y The mathematician
investigates cancer screening
and treatment, while sharing
her own experience of
cervical cancer. Thur 2 Jun,
BBC2 21:00 (60mins).Films
Yesterday (2019) Daft but
watchable romcom about a
singer-songwriter who wakes
up from an accident in an
alternative reality where the
Beatles never existed. Thur
2 Jun, BBC2 22:00 (110mins).Brooklyn (2015) Saoirse
Ronan stars in this movingly
restrained adaptation of Colm
Tóibín’s novel. Thur 2 Jun,
BBC1 23:40 (105mins).Titles in print are available from The Week Bookshop on 020-3176 3835. For out-of-print books visit biblio.co.ukComing up for auction
In “a darker counterpoint”
to the rest of its jubilee
season, Sotheby’s is showing
highlights of the Stolper
Wilson Collection, made up
of posters and graphic art that
cemented the visual identity
of the Sex Pistols, including
Jamie Reid’s God Save the
Queen poster (FT). Until 15
June, Sotheby’s, New Bond
Street, London W1; auction
in the autumn (sothebys.com).The Archers: what happened last week
With Mia’s GCSEs looming, Will is sure she’ll be the first in the family to go to university. Mia later
confesses to Stella that the pressure of expectation is getting to her. At Stella’s urging, Mia opens
up to Will, who reassures her that he’ll always be proud of her. Accusations fly when Chris, Alice
and Brian meet a forensic accountant for the Home Farm valuation; Chris says Brian’s hiding
assets, Brian calls him a parasite. Afterwards, Alice tries to reassure Chris, but he’s adamant about
getting his fair share. Lily winds up Freddie, insisting he’s got more to learn at Lower Loxley; they
make a bet. Will takes Mia to the Orangery after her exams, but there’s nasty sniping between her
and Chelsea. Roy accepts the Grey Gables job offer from Adil, but feels uneasy being photographed
for the new website. Later he receives angry messages from betrayed colleagues, and his car is
graffitied with “Judas”. Brian unsuccessfully tries to get Jakob to do some digging on Chris. On
learning that Chris sometimes gets paid in cash, Brian wonders if he’s been lying to the tax man.