The Three-Arched Bridge

A monk tells a cautionary tale of construction and sacrifice in this unsettling novel by Ismail Kadare.

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Among Friends

A circle of acquaintances meet to gossip and trade barbs in this sharp novella by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya.

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Peru

Floating wires, hotel rooms, and railway stations feature in this selection of four Peruvian artworks.

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Quartet

Friendships and musical homages feature in this trio of artworks related to the word ‘Quartet’.

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The Disintegration Loops

Cloudy electronic tones billow and deteriorate on this plaintive ambient album by William Basinski.

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Spiral Jetty

A sculptural coil spirals out into the Great Salt Lake, Utah, in this work of land art by Robert Smithson.

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If on a winter's night

Stories are cut short and readers are dragged into the action in this beguiling novel by Italo Calvino.

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The Shipping News

A dysfunctional family relocates to the craggy expanse of a Canadian island in this novel by Annie Proulx.

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Interview: Yiyun Li

'Nothing is detached from the real world.' We talk to Yiyun Li, award-winning author of The Vagrants.

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Play It as It Lays

A woman attempts to escape from ennui by taking to the freeway in this blistering novel by Joan Didion.

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Interview: Salvatore Scibona

'The goal of art was never to understand.' We talk to Salvatore Scibona, author of The End.

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Harakiri

Swimming caps and bloody battles feature in this trio of artworks related to the word 'Harakiri'.

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Nigeria

Swaddled sons, village customs, and civil protest feature in this selection of four Nigerian artworks.

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Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn

A fragile historical artefact tumbles to the floor in this provocative photographic triptych by Ai Weiwei.

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Ryan in the Tub

We intrude on a woman reclining in dingy bathwater in this intimate, dimly lit photograph by Nan Goldin.

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Heartburn

Pot roasts, potatoes, and humble pie are stuffed into the pages of this side-splitting novel by Nora Ephron.

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Interview: Julianne Pachico

'I like not knowing all the answers.' We talk to Julianne Pachico, story writer and author of The Lucky Ones.

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Moribund

Watermelon slices and last words feature in this trio of artworks related to the word 'Moribund'.

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Hungary

Dogs run riot, a woman works, and a messianic man approaches in this selection of four Hungarian artworks.

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The Dinner Party

A grand, triangular table is set with 39 handcrafted place settings in this intricate installation by Judy Chicago.

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