Issue 1406

A stitch in time
When Gwen Strauss’s great-aunt casually revealed over lunch that she and a band of daring Resistance women escaped from Nazi Germany, the writer knew she had to tell her tale. Kevin Gopal hears the story of the nine.

No easy ride
It’s taking longer to book a private hire taxi or Uber, while black cabs are fewer on the ground. Where have they all gone and what does this mean for public safety? Mia Bleach reports.

Freedom writer
Bernardine Evaristo had been writing about the Black British experience for decades before winning the Booker Prize. She tells Saskia Murphy that despite her own hardships and the progress of the publishing industry, it can be even harder now for young working-class kids to make something of their creativity while coping with the costs of living in a city.

Plus
News, arts and entertainment, Alan Cumming’s letter to his younger self, columnist Saskia Murphy and much more.