A monk tells a cautionary tale of construction and sacrifice in this unsettling novel by Ismail Kadare.
Read moreAmong Friends
A circle of acquaintances meet to gossip and trade barbs in this sharp novella by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya.
Read morePeru
Floating wires, hotel rooms, and railway stations feature in this selection of four Peruvian artworks.
Read moreQuartet
Friendships and musical homages feature in this trio of artworks related to the word ‘Quartet’.
Read moreThe Disintegration Loops
Cloudy electronic tones billow and deteriorate on this plaintive ambient album by William Basinski.
Read moreSpiral Jetty
A sculptural coil spirals out into the Great Salt Lake, Utah, in this work of land art by Robert Smithson.
Read moreIf on a winter's night
Stories are cut short and readers are dragged into the action in this beguiling novel by Italo Calvino.
Read moreThe Shipping News
A dysfunctional family relocates to the craggy expanse of a Canadian island in this novel by Annie Proulx.
Read moreInterview: Yiyun Li
'Nothing is detached from the real world.' We talk to Yiyun Li, award-winning author of The Vagrants.
Read morePlay It as It Lays
A woman attempts to escape from ennui by taking to the freeway in this blistering novel by Joan Didion.
Read moreInterview: Salvatore Scibona
'The goal of art was never to understand.' We talk to Salvatore Scibona, author of The End.
Read moreHarakiri
Swimming caps and bloody battles feature in this trio of artworks related to the word 'Harakiri'.
Read moreNigeria
Swaddled sons, village customs, and civil protest feature in this selection of four Nigerian artworks.
Read moreDropping a Han Dynasty Urn
A fragile historical artefact tumbles to the floor in this provocative photographic triptych by Ai Weiwei.
Read moreRyan in the Tub
We intrude on a woman reclining in dingy bathwater in this intimate, dimly lit photograph by Nan Goldin.
Read moreHeartburn
Pot roasts, potatoes, and humble pie are stuffed into the pages of this side-splitting novel by Nora Ephron.
Read moreInterview: Julianne Pachico
'I like not knowing all the answers.' We talk to Julianne Pachico, story writer and author of The Lucky Ones.
Read moreMoribund
Watermelon slices and last words feature in this trio of artworks related to the word 'Moribund'.
Read moreHungary
Dogs run riot, a woman works, and a messianic man approaches in this selection of four Hungarian artworks.
Read moreThe Dinner Party
A grand, triangular table is set with 39 handcrafted place settings in this intricate installation by Judy Chicago.
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