Good writing says something that’s true. If that sounds simple, it’s not. In this special edition of the Evening Standard, we’ve collected the best pieces of the past 12 months by our brilliant writers. The selection may appear disparate at first glance — what unites the idiosyncrasies of Australian life (seen through British eyes) and the complex geo-politics of the Israel-Gaza conflict? It is the quality of writing and thought. More deeply, these pieces are threaded with at least one of three common strands that tie them to this great city.
All these columns can be found by clicking the underlined text describing them.
One common strand is reflections on London life — well, this is London’s paper after all. Paul Flynn writes elegantly about housing, one of the great issues of our times. He has found his own community around the flat he owns, so why, he asks, is this dream now impossible for others?
Tanya Gold looks at housing from the other end of the telescope. She realised a dream most of us have had (in the dark watches of the night at least) of leaving London and starting afresh. Her column is a beautiful picture of what that really entails.
For those who stay, London life can be maddening. The silver lining to this is that it provides golden material for our talented columnists to make hay with. Rachel Johnson aims both barrels at hand-holding, nannying London — a city now a world away from the Bohemian wildness of old. Meanwhile our new columnist Fat Tony takes Selfridges to task for its terrible dog policies — indeed, after his piece the store changed its policy.
Beyond annoyances, though, London has its darker sides. George Chesterton writes with power and clarity about the horror of seeing people on our streets celebrating Hamas’s murderous attacks on October 7.
The second strand clear in our columns is musings on British life, London being one of the least parochial places in the country. The impeccably-informed Anne McElvoy writes about the struggles of Harry and Meghan when, having launched broadsides against the royals, they found the grace-and-favour Frogmore cottage whisked away from them. The fearless Nimco Ali broaches the difficult, but important subject of race, looking at the Lionesses. They were so successful in the World Cup, but why, Nimco asks, was our team so very white?
Anna van Praagh, our chief content officer, takes on those who have mocked the Beckhams over the years — the great British public. People sneered, Anna writes in her typically insightful piece, because the Beckhams were considered fair game as they were working class.
An artist’s eye view is a rare thing in the British press and there’s nobody writing like Tracey Emin. Her column here touches on David Bowie and what it was like to grow up among paedophiles and fleas. It is unforgettable. At the other end of public life, the ever scalpel-sharp Melanie McDonagh hauls Sir Keir Starmer over the coals for his immigration policies — or lack of them.
As for the Government, in July the talented Tomiwa Owolade was one of the first writers to call for a ban on the dangerous American bully XL. It was subsequently outlawed and the ban kicks in next year.
Subjects that raise in the writer a cold fury often make for very strong columns indeed. The terrific Martha Gill’s denunciation of the laddish culture that enabled Russell Brand is a case in point.
Our third strand connecting these columns is engagement with the world at large, as London obviously is a city connected around the globe.
From the superb Matthew d’Ancona’s barnstorming piece about Joe Biden’s mental incapacity for his high office, to Michael Wolff’s peerless, insider and waspish picture of American politics (Donald Trump could break the US next November), the Standard has you covered.
The well-connected Ben Judah’s piece on Hamas’s terror attacks of October 7 is the clearest distillation you will find of what those atrocities really meant and why they prompted the response they have.
Not that the world stage is all high politics, war and ruin.
Leonardo DiCaprio caused a stir for jettisoning his latest girlfriend in February, soon after she’d turned 25. The wise and funny Sarfraz Manzoor muses on poor Leo’s fate and concludes that the Hollywood star will never know love like Sarfraz does. It’s an elegantly written piece.
Then there’s our newsletter and leader writer Jack Kessler’s brilliantly funny column about his trip to Australia. Given that Jack also managed to trigger practically every man and woman in Australia with his piece, it’s worth a read.
I hope you enjoy reading these columns as much I did editing them. They all, in their own distinct ways, say something which is true.
