Book of the dayAutobiography and memoirReviewIn the superstar footballer’s latest memoir, vanity goes hand in hand with an appreciation of his absurd persona
It’s nine years since I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovićwas published in English and described by the Guardian’s Richard Williams as the “most compelling autobiography ever to appear under a footballer’s name”. That book told in revealing detail the rags-to-riches story of Sweden’s most celebrated footballer, born to a Bosnian Muslim father and Catholic Croat mother in a tough neighbourhood of Malmö.
Lyndsay Heaton, one of Emil Gayed’s victims: ‘I knew something awful and wrong had happened to me.’ Photograph: Carly Earl/The GuardianMelissa Davey and Carly Earl look back at long days uncovering the shocking extent of the doctor’s botched surgeries – ‘It was all snowballing’
Ten years of Guardian Australia’s most impactful journalism How the Guardian shaped (and shook) Australian media – Full Story Watch Guardian Australia’s 10th birthday celebrations – video Support Guardian Australia journalism by making a contribution of any size by Caitlin Cassidy and Marni CordellOn 4 June 2018 Guardian Australia reporter Melissa Davey received a phone message from a woman making a shocking claim.
The ObserverFictionInterviewHelene Hegemann: 'There's no such thing as originality, just authenticity'Kate ConnollyFrom critics' darling for her first novel at 17 to outcast accused of plagiarism, how did German author Helene Hegemann survive her notoriety?No one seems to recognise Helene Hegemann as she bounces into the busy cafe, small, slight, dressed in a grey velour tracksuit, brushing her thick hair from her face, and plonking her battered iPhone on the table. Yet this is a woman who, two years ago, took Germany's literary establishment by storm before being just as swiftly knocked off her pedestal by the same intellectual elite when it was discovered she had lifted parts of her debut novel from unattributed sources.
Monarchy This article is more than 5 months oldMountbattens’ biographer claims he has been spied on by the British stateThis article is more than 5 months oldAndrew Lownie, a historian seeking access to diaries and documents, says his activities have been monitored
A biographer seeking the release of the personal diaries of Lord and Lady Mountbatten, which had been saved for the nation using £2m of public money, says he has been spied on by the British state during his years-long legal battle with officialdom which has cost £450,000 in legal fees.
Plant of the weekLife and styleUnlike its cousin Verbena bonariensis, this compact verbena is ideal for a small plotWhat is it? Gardeners are always banging on about how they love statuesque Verbena bonariensis for its "airy stems" that create a "transparent veil" through which to view other plants. I've never been convinced, unless you have one of those 3m-deep, 20m-long borders we all dream of. Now along comes its compact cousin, V.
PhotographyInterviewREM's Michael Stipe on his 37,000 photos – of stars, lovers and Kurt Cobain's handsTim JonzePhotography has been a lifelong passion for the singer. He talks us through his finest shots, from a sleeping River Phoenix to ‘his queer grandfather’ William Burroughs
‘It was dismissed as a hobby, which was a bit diminishing,” says Michael Stipe. “It meant a lot more to me than that.”
He’s talking about his photography and the way the media ignored it during his time as the frontman of REM.
The far right This article is more than 5 years oldInterviewThe media and the Ku Klux Klan: a debate that began in the 1920sThis article is more than 5 years oldLois Beckett and Jesse BrennemanDr Felix Harcourt, author of Ku Klux Kulture, breaks down the ‘mutually beneficial’ relationship between the Klan and the media
In the 1920s, the membership of the Ku Klux Klan exploded nationwide, thanks in part to its coverage in the news media.
Top 10sBooksFrom John Steinbeck to Tommy Orange, it’s an old story that keeps on going, in one of the wealthiest countries on Earth. These books help explain why
For all its wealth and devotion to the myth of the American Dream, the US allows many more of its citizens to live in poverty than other wealthy countries do. We hold the 10th highest poverty rate in a 2021 ranking of OECD countries, with almost 38 million Americans living in poverty.
OpinionEmojis This article is more than 4 years oldWhy I hate emojisThis article is more than 4 years oldSuzanne MooreI have never knowingly used the vile little gurning dots and I don’t intend to start nowShould I ever be kidnapped or held against my will – I am talking about a boring wedding rather than a Liam Neeson Taken-type scenario – it will be very easy for my nearest and dearest to know something is up.
MoviesLilly Wust was married to a Nazi soldier. But one day she met a woman from the Jewish undergound - and fell madly in love. Kate Connolly on a touching film about their doomed affairBerlin, 1942. The city's 80,000 remaining Jews - those who have not managed to escape - are living under increasingly difficult conditions and a strict curfew. Every day the sense of fear grows. In July 1942, the first transport of Jews leaves the German capital for Auschwitz.