Spectrum
‘Hero worship must never be blind’: The lesson from Chris Masters
The veteran journalist’s account of the investigation into Ben Roberts-Smith shows the crucial need for truth and perspective.
- by Albert Palazzo
Latest
I have a landline phone and I know exactly what that says about me
It rarely rings, but the fact of its existence is a dead giveaway.
- by Richard Glover
Think you know what Australian poetry is? Think again
What we’re seeing now is “new and unexpected and flipping language on its head”.
- by Jane Sullivan
What to read: A tale of heaven and hell, and the end of a giant shark
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
Wes Anderson is famous for his all-star casts. How does he do it?
Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston – Asteroid City is another star-studded outing in which Wes Anderson left nothing to chance.
- by Stephanie Bunbury
Chefs are style icons too now? Sure, OK
Carmy from The Bear has us saying “Yes, Chef” when it comes to his tasty fits.
- by Robert Moran
What do you call it when a helpline doesn’t help?
As the muzak played, I pondered the broken promise of the word’s meaning.
- by David Astle
Book of the day
Review
Enjoyed White Lotus? Here’s a novel that has fun skewering privilege
Emily Perkins’ new novel Lioness delivers a courageous if unsettling message.
- by Gretchen Shirm
Make it dumber: I’ve had enough of smart comedies, give me the silly
I want entertainment that gives me an escape from the news cycle, not a rehashing of it.
- by Deirdre Fidge
Has history ‘defanged’ Martin Luther King’? This biography says yes
Jonathan Eig’s new look at the life of the African-American activist argues he was no saint, but a man of courage with a moral vision.
- by Shane White
We were obsessed with this game in 1999, and now it’s coming back
And it’s going to be even better because we won’t have to wait for mum to hang up the phone!
- by Alice Tovey