JENNY MITCHELL, poetry co-editor for the Morning Star, introduces her priorities, and her first selection
Theatre: A Lesson from Aloes, Finborough Theatre London
Athol Fugard's play is an acute reminder of the horrors of apartheid-era South Africa
Frightened people: Dawid Minnar and Janine Ulfane
[Alixandra Fazzina]
HENRY BELL is sceptical of the notion that ‘progress’ is an ideology that the ruling class uses exclusively to camouflage appropriation
In search of political understanding, MATTHEW HAWKINS welcomes a critique of anti-semitism as codified by the Israeli state
BEN CHACKO welcomes a masterful analysis that puts class struggle back at the heart of our understanding of China’s revolution
JOHN GREEN is intrigued by the ethereal, ghostly quality of images of a London unobscured by the bustle of humanity
JENNY FARRELL relishes an outstanding Palestinian novel that immerses readers in the sensory reality of Gaza, then and now
AI-induced murder, last rites for the mob-dog, a gullible common herd, and an exemplary Christmas chiller
THE opening of A Lesson From Aloes lulls you into false sense of security.
Piet and Gladys Benzuidenhouts are having a lazy afternoon in their isolated Port Elizabeth back yard, awaiting a visit from his old friend Steve and his family. There’s talk of sunburn, the resilience of aloes and the significance of names — underlined by a Romeo and Juliet quote — but little more.
Fortunately, when you are in the hands of South Africa’s master dramatist you know you won’t be underwhelmed for long and, slowly, Athol Fugard begins to turn up the heat.
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