CONTENTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011

FROM THE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

LETTERS ETC

FEATURES

THE BIG QUESTION
In a new series, we put a big question to a panel of Economist writers, starting with: what’s the capital of the world today?

THE KING AND I
More than 30 years after his death, Elvis Presley has been reduced to the shorthand of iconography. Ray Connolly remembers meeting the man

PHOTO ESSAY
Cairo, before and after the fall of Mubarak: pictures from an iPhone, by Steve Double

STUDENT FUNDING
Rising fees are a big issue in Britain, but has anyone else got a better idea? Jasper Rees, a father of two undergraduates, takes a European tour, while Adrian Wooldridge asks if all this education is worth it

THIS SEASON

The pick of the next two months in the arts: George Michael touring Europe with an orchestra, Carey Mulligan’s new film, Antonio Pappano in London and Rome, postmodernism at the V&A, and Irving Wardle on how to play Othello

INTELLIGENCE

GEOGRAPHY The amateur weatherman who outdoes the professionals

FOOD Stove Notes: Simon Hopkinson’s tips for making fruit pie

From brains to balls, Christopher Hirst cooks the odd bits of the beast

THE WINE-LIST INSPECTOR Tim Atkin on three restaurants in Vienna

LANGUAGE The rise of “awesome”, by Robert Lane Greene

SPORT Old captains never die—they just return to the ranks

A GAME, A GADGET AND AN APP Tom Standage’s recommendations

CARS When is a Merc not a Merc? Paul Markillie explains

STYLE

FASHION A man’s guide to a woman’s wardrobe, by Luke Leitch

THE SCEPTICAL SHOPPER What the well-dressed iPad is wearing

THE LINE OF BEAUTY Capes down the ages

APPLIED FASHION Rebecca Willis on the importance of handbags

MAN IN A SUIT A young film-maker in a suit that cost £99

CULTURE

AUTHORS ON MUSEUMS Rory Stewart on the treasures of Kabul

MUSIC The Playlist: songs of the year so far, by Laura Barton

NEW COLUMN At the Cinema: Ian Jack on Lars von Trier’s new film

MEMOIR Irving Wardle on the writer who inspired him to learn German

BOOKS Notes on a Voice: Arthur Conan Doyle, by Bee Wilson

Found in Translation: Edmondo De Amicis

Eight Good Books: Maggie Fergusson’s pick of the season

VISUAL CV Gary Oldman, now playing George Smiley, by Tom Shone

PLACES

TUSCANY John Hooper on “The Tuscan Year”, one generation on

SEVEN WONDERS Kit Kemp, hotelier

BEING THERE Living in São Paulo, by Helen Joyce

QUARTER FINALISTS The slot formerly known as This Quarter’s Quarters

SNAPSHOT How one building has changed London’s skyline

THE MISSION Will Smith tries his hand at Punch & Judy

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