The joys of summer

New Statesman​

6 days ago

Summer remains the most confounding of seasons: a time of Shakespearean bliss, temperate and fair, golden in the sun. And yet it is also that period of the year when the mad blood stirs, as our cover last week suggested. What kind of summer do we have in store this year? Who knows, but in this week's summer special we have tried to dwell a little more on the temperate than the mad. Let us hope it works.
Will Lloyd has fun practising his downward dog at Highgrove House, a sight for sore eyes – literally. Matt Chorley delves into the history of that very modern spectacle, the prime ministerial holiday. Anoosh Chakelian ponders the Lime bike-ification of public barbecues (yes, that is now a thing).
Alas, we cannot paint only in the lighter shades of life. We are proud to publish an edited extract from Jonathan Dimbleby's foreword to the new edition of his history of the Palestinians. Katie Stallard reflects on the lessons much of the world – including North Korea – has drawn from Donald Trump's bombing of Iran. Rachel Cunliffe makes a moving journey to her grandparents' childhood home in Berlin.
In other news, it was lovely to receive a letter this week from a one-time writer at the New Society, Anne Corbett, who worked at the magazine in the mid-1960s. Anne noticed that our books and culture section, previously called 'The Critics', has been renamed 'The New Society', to recognise the heritage of the magazine, which was absorbed into the New Statesman in 1988. Anne noted the New Society was known for serious reportage of the kind Anoosh provided in her piece on Diss and Epping last week. 'Back then, we'd travel to where the action was to give a voice to the people concerned on interesting and often controversial matters,' Anne wrote. Now 'the challenge is [to] create bridges to better understand the current social and political malaise'. Amen to that.
In this week's extended New Society, we dig into cultural trends with pieces from Ellen Peirson-Hagger detailing the extraordinary influence of Dua Lipa on book publishing, Nicholas Harris on the emergence of 'YouTube Man', and the inestimable Kate Mossman on the strange London life of Ashley Campbell, daughter of American country legend Glen. It is also lovely to have Jason Cowley writing on the meaning of Kevin Keegan. Talking of one-time members of this parish, having the great Helen Lewis back for this week's Diary is a pleasure.
In last week's Editor's Note I rashly dipped my toe into the world of culinary nationalism. I can confirm that it sparked a (gentle) backlash. Reader Allan Buckley writes to say that I am right to fear the wrath of the Italian ambassador for suggesting cheese and fish work perfectly well together: 'Many years ago I earned a rollicking in a campsite trattoria in Tuscany for requesting Parmesan on a fish pasta dish and then compounding my error by ordering a cappuccino after lunch.' Oh dear, Allan. Jim Martin, though, is more supportive, agreeing with me that Theakston Old Peculier is superior to Guinness. (Both letters can be perused at length here.)
Ironically, I suspect Finn McRedmond – our resident Dubliner who kicked off this whole debate – remains far more of a Barolo woman than a Guinness connoisseur. In her dispatch from the London food scene this week, she reveals the 'new' trend sweeping the capital: butter.
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe
Before I sign off for the summer, I wanted to offer a few reflections on my time as editor to date. This is my eighth edition of the magazine. In this time, I have tried to bring a sense of ambition and fun into these pages. My thanks to our creative editor, Gerry Brakus, and head of design, Erica Weathers, for making them look so good. I have relied, too, upon the calm expertise of our production desk: the head of production, Chris Bourn; deputy production editor, Barney Horner; and our formidable band of sub-editors, Zoë Huxford, Sydney Diack and Faye Curran. They are the engine of this magazine.
The next edition of the New Statesman will be out on 29 August – just as the summer begins to fade into autumn. September, of course, has joys of its own, but as Jimmy McIntosh writes in his ode to summer drinking, nothing quite compares to 'summer sousing': 'So take your mate up on that pint in the sun. You'll miss it when it's gone.' Bottoms up! And see you in a few weeks.
Related