The White Darkness
This powerful and moving piece tells the story of Henry Worsley’s expeditions to the South Pole. They were inspired by Ernest Shackleton, a mentor he never met, and were each a study in human endurance and fortitude.
Anthony Bourdain’s Moveable Feast
A 2017 profile of the much loved broadcaster and writer Anthony Bourdain, who died this week.
Trying to Remember J.F.K.
An elegaic personal essay reflecting on President Kennedy’s legacy in his centenary year.
The Afterlife of Pablo Escobar
The controversial and bloody legacy of the world’s most famous drug trafficker remains a profitable business for many, including some members of his family and former associates.
Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet
Though it is currently the 7th most visited site in the world (and 4th in the US), it’s easy to underestimate the sheer scale of Reddit, the self-styled “front page of the internet”. That scale, and its anarchic traits, have made it the front line in figuring out what is acceptable online behaviour. This insightful and often darkly funny piece meets the people trying to draw the lines.
A Saudi Prince’s Quest to Remake the Middle East
A detailed and deftly drawn profile of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The story deals with his rapid rise to power, his manoeuvrings in regional politics, and his apparently extensive backroom diplomacy with the Trump administration and the United Arab Emirates.
The Third Person
A story looking at the professionals hired by wives in China to deal with their husbands’ mistresses.
Don’t Eat Before Reading This
The 1999 piece that helped launch Anthony Bourdain’s career as a writer and broadcaster. In it, he offered readers the inside track on the restaurant industry, warts and all. It was apparently sent in to the magazine as an unsolicited manuscript.