The story of my madness | Emmanuel Carrère

Emmanuel Carrère was no stranger to depression, but it was late in life that a major episode got him hospitalised and diagnosed as bipolar. In some ways it made sense of his problems, but in the midst of it, everything was brokenIt’s disturbing, at almost 60 years of age, to be diagnosed with an illness that you’ve suffered from your whole life without...

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From the archive: Five myths about the refugee crisis – podcast

We are raiding the Audio Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2018: The cameras have gone – but the suffering endures. Daniel Trilling deconstructs the beliefs that still shape policy and public opinion Continue reading...

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Who owns Einstein? The battle for the world’s most famous face

Thanks to a savvy California lawyer, Albert Einstein has earned far more posthumously than he ever did in his lifetime. But is that what the great scientist would have wanted?In July 2003, the physicist and Pulitzer-prize-nominated author Dr Tony Rothman received an email from his editor bearing unwelcome news. Rothman’s new book was weeks from publication....

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How Putin’s invasion returned Nato to the centre stage – podcast

For the first time in years, its role has become a topic of furious debate. But what do we talk about when we talk about Nato? Continue reading...

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A day in the life of (almost) every vending machine in the world – podcast

What’s behind the indestructible appeal of the robotic snack? Continue reading...

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Forgetting the apocalypse: why our nuclear fears faded – and why that’s dangerous

The horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made the whole world afraid of the atomic bomb – even those who might launch one. Today that fear has mostly passed out of living memory, and with it we may have lost a crucial safeguardOn an August morning in 1945, 600 metres over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, a small sun came briefly into existence. Few remember...

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From the archive: The retired cops investigating unsolved murders in one of America’s most violent cities – podcast

We are raiding the Audio Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2016: A former murder capital of the US, Camden, New Jersey has created its first cold case squad. Can solving old killings help restore an embattled community’s trust in law and order? Continue reading...

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Spot the difference: the invincible business of counterfeit goods

Selling cheap fakes of a successful product makes horribly good business sense. Is there any way to stop it?I was standing in front of an imposing townhouse in the swish 16th arrondissement of Paris. Its classical lines, marble staircases and delicately wrought iron balustrades belied the fierce sense of purpose inside. The Musée de la Contrefaçon...

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‘A disaster waiting to happen’: who was really responsible for the fire at Moria refugee camp? – podcast

Days after fire destroyed the overcrowded camp, six inmates were charged with arson. Greece is now opening ‘prison-like’ secure camps in the Aegean islands as part of a growing tendency to criminalise refugees Continue reading...

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The lost Jews of Nigeria – podcast

Until the 1990s, there were almost no Jews in Nigeria. Now thousands have enthusiastically taken up the faith. Why? Continue reading...

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