#8 Culture Fix
On Nick Hornby, literary and literal stalkers, Josh O'Connor, fair weather playlists and Andrey Kurkov coming next week to the British Library.
The Culture Fix is the place where I share the books, films, music, articles, interviews, plays, exhibitions, places, and even food, I’ve enjoyed recently.
Recommendations may refer to content in either English, Spanish, French or Italian and sometimes not available in English. But since this is a publication called Abroad written by a multilingual foreigner in London, and hopefully appealing to those curious to explore beyond their own borders, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
I’m just back from Spain, where I’ve spent a few days back home basking in the warm and sunny weather. I was terrified of coming back to London, the kingdom of gloominess, and I couldn’t bear the thought of another long stretch of grey skies, rain and cold after having already got a taste of summer, but luckily for me -and for every Londoner- temperatures have risen this week and we have been blessed with a glimpse of spring at long last.
I was stricken but how perfectly blue the sky back home is, how breathtaking the sunsets and how the clouds seemed to be too perfect to be real, their spongey texture almost palpable if only you reach out your hand long enough. Although we do have sunny days and blue skies in London occasionally, they lack the vibrancy that they have back in La Mancha. Maybe it is just me exagerating their perfection. All is possible when one comes from the land of Don Quijote: We are conditioned to see things bigger than they are.
Besides indulging in excellent food, I’ve also made the most of the Netflix geolocalisation, which has allowed me to catch up on Almodóvar’s filmography by watching Julieta and Dolor y Gloria (Pain and Glory).
I enjoyed both but I can’t be objective with his work because what I like about Almodóvar, regardless of the type of film he makes, is his way of telling a story. In particular, I love his use of music as a way to move the narrative forward and convey emotion as well as the colour block photography that has become a trademark of his later movies, and the reassuring presence of great Spanish actors, old and new to the Almodóvar universe. And he’s a fellow native of La Mancha, born just an hour away from where I come from. We have to stick together and support each other.
Since the last Culture Fix I’ve written about my experience taking an English test as part of the process of becoming a British subject. It’s really interesting how 15 years of living and working in London can’t exempt you from taking the test and paying the £150 fee but being over 65 can. Damn it, shouldn’t have rushed it.
Another big thing (massive actually) that has happened since the last instalment is that has joined Substack. He writes on all things creative in . He may be quite new on here, but he’s already delivering excellent advice that you can apply in writing and in life.
My first ever post on Substack was about him so it was a bit surreal when I saw a little circle with his name, marking his presence on this brave new online world. I still can’t get my head around the fact that writers you admire are just a few clicks away when they seemed to inhabit in a planet you couldn’t even figure out how to travel to.
That first post I wrote here came into being after having finished one of Hornby’s books - Stuff I’ve Been Reading, a compilation of book/film reviews he wrote for The Believer magazine. His writing, and more specifically his love for writing about things he genuinely enjoyed, was the reason I finally took the plunge to follow his example and stop overthinking about what I should or shouldn’t write about.
But once again I’m afraid I can’t be objective with his work as it has been a formative part of my London education. In fact, my vision of London and its people was shaped long before I set foot in this place thanks to his books and the characters who inhabited them.
If Charles Dickens is often the first name that comes to mind when we are asked to name a writer that captured the essence of the London he lived in, Nick Hornby rightly deserves a place in that literary podium as he’s done (and keeps doing) a brilliant job at reflecting the preoccupations of the average London dweller of his time. Often with hilarious results.
Short Reads
— You're too old to believe you can't be sexy at any age!
— What’s the ROI on a Met Gala afterparty look?
— Josh O’Connor on gardening, reluctant stardom and getting ripped for Challengers
— Could ketamine be the next fix for workplace depression?
— How tech giants cut corners to harvest data for A.I.
— On finding one's true voice
— Creative tech festival SXSW to launch in London in June 2025
— Art Isn’t Supposed to Make You Comfortable
— How Coffee Became a Joke
— Why is Britain’s mental health so incredibly poor?
— The fascinating Miss Pym
— The poshest game you've (n)ever heard of
Books
— Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater
You should read Alice’s Slater debut novel if you are either into true crime or appalled by people who are. Roach, our protagonist, is a female Joe Goldberg (she’s also a bookseller, mind you) who is passionate about true crime.
When Laura, a bookseller transferred from another branch, starts working at her bookshop, Roach becomes obsessed with her and tries to form a bond based on a glimpse of a true crime book she’s discovered on Laura’s bag. But Laura has powerful reasons to not want to become friends with someone like Roach, although this is something Roach will have to go to great lengths to find out.
A highly addictive read with lots of bookshop talk (if you’re a bookseller you may enjoy this novel even more), great sense of place with Walthamstow acting as the background of the action and with two female protagonists who could be easily labelled as unlikeable and even toxic for very different reasons but who work a treat on the page.
I understand why Eliza Clark, who has penned one of the most likeable unlikeable female character I’ve read in years in her debut novel Boy Parts, did a blurb for this one.
Series
— On the flight back from Spain half of the people on the plane were watching….drum roll, please… The Gentleman! I’ve already seen it three times (and want a second season) but I guess a fourth rewatch is like dessert. You can always make room for it.
The other half of the plane was watching:
— Baby Reindeer (Richard Gadd)
I must have been one of the first people to have watched it and so I couldn’t talk about it with anyone, but by now odds are you have heard enough about Baby Reindeer and maybe even read about the real-life Martha and how that’s not a good thing for anyone involved. The thing about streaming platforms is that they are changing visual storytelling for good and bad, but in the case of Richard Gadd’s auto fiction is definitely for good. A story like this (regardless of whether it’s based on true events) wouldn’t have seen the light on a traditional tv channel, it wouldn’t even have been discussed as feasible or sellable to audiences. But this is precisely everything that is great about Baby Reindeer: The choices Gadd has made about how to tell this story and who plays the key characters that conform the narrative of this series based on his own life, are the reason why Baby Reindeer has caused such a stir and has convinced audiences and critics about Gadd’s writing talent.
I’ve read reviews (including one from a favourite film and series podcast) calling the series misogynist and fat phobic when personally I found it was exactly the opposite. Would this story had the same effect if Gadd had chosen for the role of Martha a slender, conventionally attractive woman? Would we have believed he felt threatened by her or questioned that he felt very ambivalent towards his stalker (even when she showed how violent she could be) in the same way we’ve done with the outstanding performance of Jessica Gunning, whose physicality is key to understand the complex dynamics Gadd is trying to portray?
Now that the supposedly real Martha has come forward to tell her version of the story (and here it’s fair to add that there are always many sides to every story), the question is another one: Could this be the end of authors looking at their lived experience and reworking it for entertainment purposes in order to avoid a witch hunt? And more importantly, has anyone actually understood the message of Baby Reindeer?
Films
— Challengers (Luca Guadagnino)
Let me tell you what I didn’t like about this film: nothing. It has a trio of protagonists that are exactly that: the stars not only of the movie, but as characters also of their own show and that works a treat. J. W. Anderson has designed the costumes and it shows as the clothes tell a story of their own and have even inspired journalists to write about the story behind one particular item. The soundtrack by Trent Reznus and Atticus Ross builds tension as the twists and turns that are to be expected in a love triangle that spans over a decade are slowly revealed as a tenis match is being played in the background, whose result was perhaps engineered a long time ago by all three of its players. Mike Faist and Zendaya are brilliant here, but Josh O’Connor is totally amazing as sleazy, sexy Patrick and I now need a sequel with just him.
—There is Still Tomorrow (C’e ancora domani, Paola Cortellesi)
Paola Cortellesi’s directorial debut is one I was looking forward to seeing as it came out at a critical moment in Italy when violence against women reached a new peak. Although the trailer gave glimpses of what to expect, the film ends on an unexpected note that was extremely satisfying and had me sobbing uncontrollably. This film is simply “Fantastico!” as one Italian lady said out loud in the cinema when the credits started to roll. I would have joined her in the praise but I was busy crying.
—Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund)
There’s something strangely gratifying about how this film opens and closes as it starts strong showing us the roles men and women accept to play and forces us to confront the patterns we subconsciously fall into only to surprise us later on with how those roles can be played by anyone (regardless of sex) if the right circumstances arise. While this is a fictional satire on the life of the rich and the fragility of their way of life, touching on gender roles, racism and ultimately power struggles, it has made me think of something I’ve read recently on how the uber rich are preparing for a climate disaster: by building bunkers that they hope to protect with private security, who in all likelihood will probably care more about saving their own skin than that of their employers if push comes to shove and we all need to fight for basic resources. Highly recommended film. Plus Harris Dickinson -whom I discovered in Scrapper- is one of the main leads.
— La Chimera (Alice Rorhwacher)
It’s taken quite a while for Alice Rorhwacher’s magical realism tale of love, death and loss to land in the UK but it’s already here. I’m still processing this gem but I can share that this is another stellar performance from Josh O’Connor. This is a beautiful film that has the structure of the best fables and ultimately it is a tale about people who lived in a distant past but who never truly left us as well as about people who live in the present but have long abandoned it. As Arthur discovers in his pursuit of Etruscan treasures and lost love. Critics agree this is O’Connor’s best film this year. Who knows if it may set him on his own Cillian Murphy course and helped him bag a few well-deserved nominations come awards season and despite having played two noticeably filthy characters this 2024.
Podcasts
— Really enjoyed this episode of Modern Love with Emily Ratajtowski on gender roles and the impact they have on relationships
— Been listening to this episode of La Grande Librairie on what it means to be a woman today as greater awareness about structural inequalities regarding pay and access to opportunities, the mental load that is often the sole responsibility of women and changing societal expectations about what women should be are reshaping the way the XXI century woman thinks of herself and how writers reflect that on their work.
Music
I’m a simple person and I like simple things. If I go to see a movie twice, I’ll probably be listening to its soundtrack in loop. Maybe right after leaving the cinema the first time. Predictable? Maybe. Satisfying? Also.
— Fair weather playlist
Three days of uninterrupted sun and no rain in London are my cue to defrost my fair weather playlist, which never fails to put me in a good mood and for a brief instant even convinces me that London is a liveable city for a single woman on a normal salary. What gashlighting the right playlist can’t do!
To be precise, there’s not a specific playlist, rather songs I love listening to when temperatures rise and which are not specifically summer songs1.
One of said tracks is Lola by Pastora. The first notes of this song bring with them the promise of longer days -and nights- to look forward to.
The Driver by Måneskin is a perfect song to listen to in the car on a summer night on your way to a night out. I was listening to it the other night when I was walking back home accompanied by a warm breeze and I was yearning for a car to drive while playing this full blast. Who am I kidding? All Måneskin songs tick that box for me.
I love the nostalgic tone of Été 90 by Therapie Taxi. This track -included in the last album of the group- is a perfect musical companion to see me through the liminal space between spring and summer.
Last but not least, the kings of the fair weather soundtrack, good vibes, and eternal summer of the spotless mind, the marvellous Crystal Fighters. All Night must be one the most uplifting songs they’ve ever written and that’s quite something. Have seen them twice live and will see them again later in the year, always in the winter. No doubt their gigs in London are scheduled strategically to lift up the spirits in the bleak of the winter. Their music is a catchy balm against grey skies and rain.
— European Writers’ Festival at the British Library | Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May
If you’re based in London or planning to be here next weekend, you may want to have a look at the talks that are part of the European Writers’ Festival. You can buy tickets for the full weekend or for Saturday or Sunday. The sessions will focus on the topic of transformation and speakers will be writers from Europe, including Ukranian writer Andrey Kurkov for a conversation with Luke Harding, The Guardian’s Senior International Correspondent and author of Invasion, on Saturday evening.
Abroad is an independent publication about identity and belonging, living in between cultures and languages, the love of books, music, films, creativity, life in London, and being human in the age of artificial intelligence.
I could write a treatise on the characteristics of a summer song. Probably will. Maybe before the summer is over.