Culture

You burn something new every day

“Energy transition” has been profoundly misunderstood

At COP29 there will be plenty of discussion about it. But the idea is more complex than many believe

Not the same old stories

The best films of 2024, as chosen by The Economist

They featured nuns and cardinals, sasquatches and strippers

Earth father

Can a biography capture the complexity of a long life?

James Lovelock, an important scientist, is a fascinating and fulfilling subject

The other Iran hostage crisis

The six-day siege that put terror on television

A dramatic rescue attempt ended it and shot Britain’s SAS to fame

Nation chief

Fiction captures the forces that led to Brexit

Alan Hollinghurst, a Booker-prizewinning novelist, returns with a new, evocative yarn

The riled west

Montanans are ready for “Yellowstone” to end

The hit series brought Montana to the masses—and the masses to Montana

Sisterly abuse

Exposing the horrors of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries

Books, films and TV shows reckon with church-run homes for “fallen women”

Crowning achievements

The Economist’s selection of the best TV of 2024

The small screen claims some riveting shows this year, both new and returning

The Economist watches

The best film and TV featuring fictional American elections

Escape from the real-life drama of November 5th by watching these titles

The queen of kawaii

Hello Kitty, still cute at 50

The face that launched a thousand products

Electioneering

How podcasts came to rule America’s campaign conversation

Cosy chats have replaced hard-hitting interviews

Back to black

Goth culture has returned from the dead

Gen Z is embracing the doom and gloom