Culture
It’s time to bring the literary café back to the heart of society
“Most interesting cultural things emanate from restaurants,” Jeremy King told Monocle when he showed us around his newest project in London – the revitalisation of the beloved Simpson’s in the Strand. Yet today, hospitality isn’t geared around cooking…
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Five thought-provoking books that will challenge the way you think
This season, here are the atmospheric reads with which to hunker down as the nights draw in and the frost creeps across the windowpanes.
Die Alpen magazine is a specialised Alps guide for Switzerland’s committed mountain enthusiasts
A century-old Swiss magazine caters only to those who are serious about the Alps – and no detail is too small.
A studio visit with Andrea Fontanari, the Italian painter behind the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics poster
The young artist tells us about the message behind his work and the importance of this rare opportunity to speak to the world.
‘Chroniques d’en Haut’: A public TV programme spotlighting the lives of French residents living on higher ground
TV presenter Laurent Guillaume journeys through France’s highlands to chronicle the lives of those who call them home. We join him behind the scenes before the cameras roll.
‘The Winter Warriors’ by Olivier Norek tells the unknown stories of Finnish soldiers and their quiet heroism
The French author travelled to Finland’s icy forests to get closer to his subject – sniper Simo Häyhä and the Finnish soldiers whose bravery helped to change the course of the Second World War.
How singer Charlotte Dos Santos channels Norway’s winter landscapes on her ‘Neve Azul’ EP
Charlotte Dos Santos has many rare gifts, including synaesthesia, which helps her to form musical ideas. Monocle meets her to discuss the city’s evolving cultural scene and her new EP, ‘Neve Azul’.
Switzerland: The Monocle Handbook
The latest in our Handbook series is a practical and inspirational guide to one of Europe’s most admired nations. Order your copy today.
Vhils’ sculptural door installation for Cairo’s ‘Forever Is Now’ confronts the weight of Egypt’s layered history
At the foot of the Great Pyramids of Giza, Portuguese artist Vhils presents ‘Doors of Cairo’ – featuring 65 salvaged doors that carve personal and collective histories into a collage of endurance, and memory.
Saudi Arabia’s latest alcohol policy shift lowers the bar for raising a glass
Riyadh looks set to loosen alcohol prohibitions for select foreign residents in the kingdom. The discreet change widens access to booze in the country’s only liquor store amid suggestions that additional outlets will soon…
What other countries can learn from Finland’s world-beating media literacy
Finland claiming the top spot in the Open Society Foundations’ annual Media Literacy Index has become an inevitability. The Nordic nation has placed first every year since 2017, when the list – which compares…
