Culture
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Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
In The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, Alain de Botton reveals why we need an art that can proclaim the intelligence, peculiarity, beauty and horror of the workplace and, not least, its extraordinary claim…
Hit factory
Despite years of turbulence between Taiwan and China, this island’s pop culture leaves the mainland standing. From idols to protest singers via television talent shows, Taipei pop is the country’s new heavy industry.
Culture
Culture editor Robert Bound asks if the arts can console us in a time of crisis. Plus, reviews of the latest in film, books, art, and music from around the world.
Culture
This month's culture roundup features real-life football yarns, a fictional White House exposé and an ode to the migrating swallow. Plus, films from Armando Iannucci and new art shows in Tokyo and Paris.
Observation
How can a nation get its voice heard on the world stage? If you lack resources and numbers, perhaps it’s time to wield some ‘soft power’ to encourage trade and tourism. By Tyler Brûlé.
On the shelf
we peruse the shelves of the thriving, eclectic magazine shop Papercut in Stockholm.
Paper weight
We peruse the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’, Japan’s daily paper with the world's biggest circulation. As part of our series on success, we look at its business, from newspapers to baseball teams and department stores.
Media
Monocle speaks with the head of Slate's new French edition. Also in this issue: a new Saudi Arabian satellite channel for the underprivileged and the reopening of a beloved Belgian film museum.
Art market
Christie's contemporary sale in Dubai, bodybuilding muses under the hammer in New York, and a Q&A with the director of new art fair Tokyo 101.
Show the world
May Arida, a national icon of Lebanon, has kept the Baalbek International Festival alive through wars and threats. Our new series introduces people who rise above politics to become symbols of a country’s strengths.
