Substack Reads: The ecstasy of Tesco, a pivotal year for Africa, and predictions for the 2024 box office
Hello and welcome to Substack Reads and our first edition of 2024. Writers are contemplating what’s ahead for the new year, from academic Ken Opalo on why it’s a pivotal year for the African economy to film buff Scott Mendelson sharing month-by-month predictions for the box office. Dr. Bradley Stevens reflects at the water’s edge, and award-winning British writer Hanif Kureishi looks back on a year of complete change.
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MEMOIR
Introducing Mr. Vonnegut
In memory of Gabe Hudson and his Kurt Vonnegut Radio, Jeffrey Streeter recalls his first, memorable encounter with the literary great
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The big night came. Accustomed to walking into half-empty lecture rooms, I was stunned to see the venue was packed out. There was a real buzz in the room. The great man arrived with his UK publishers, who, in their flowing cashmere overcoats, strode to their place at the door. Their writer politely introduced himself to me and strolled towards the stage, at which point the buzz became—well, whatever buzzes become when they get very loud.
My informants told me he had a good following. What they hadn’t made clear was that Mr Vonnegut held literary rock-star status. It seemed he had thousands of devoted fans in the city who realised this was the only chance they might ever get to see their hero in the flesh. They weren’t going to miss it.
ESSAY
The ecstasy of Tesco
Looking back on a year since his accident, author Hanif Kureishi finds a new need to keep his loved ones by his side
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Christmas had been a worry for a while, since Isabella and I wanted to go to Tracey’s to spend it with her and the family. The issue was whether I would be able to get into her house, since there are two entrances, one into the basement and one above the front steps. We decided in the end that I would be taken in a manual wheelchair to the bottom of the stairs, and Sachin and Carlo would carry me up and into the house. It worked well. Once in, they moved me into an armchair, which was the first time I have sat in anything but a wheelchair or hospital bed for some time. Throughout the day, as the festivities continued, I was aware that it was more or less exactly a year since my accident and, as anyone would, I relived the last moments of my ordinary life; traveling to Rome, having dinner with Isabella’s family, working at her table together, and the next day going for a walk in the Villa Borghese before my blood pressure dropped, I fell on my head and was altered forever.
Continue reading and listen to Hanif discuss his year on Substack on the radio
FILM
The biggest box-office earners of 2024
It’s the year of the sequels, but which will outperform their predecessors or earn out? Journalist Scott Mendelson shares his predictions
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Now opening March 1, the Legendary/WB co-pro was moved from last November to give the ensemble cast (Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, etc.) the chance to promote the sci-fi actioner. Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-winning Dune earned $108 million domestic (on par with The Flash) and $400 million worldwide (on par with The Golden Compass), which was still spun as successful on a Covid curve. “Part Two” to well-liked “Part One” movies (Avengers: Endgame, Twilight Breaking Dawn II, etc.) out-earn their predecessors. However, on the question of how much more, there are plenty of 2021 biggies (Godzilla vs. Kong, Free Guy, etc.) that did about as well as they would have in non-Covid times. We could be looking at a Dawn of the Planet of the Apes-size bump ($481 million to $710 million) instead of a Batman Begins to Dark Knight-level upswing.
FOOD
Showstopper pie
As beefy as they come, this ox cheek, tail, and ale pie may be a labor of love, but it’s big, fat, and full of flavor
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When you learn to cook professionally, you are always asking, Where can I add more flavour? If you’re about to add water to a recipe, could you add wine, beer or stock instead? Could you add a dollop of mustard? A drop of Worcestershire sauce?
Building a good pie filling is about stacking up those flavours, and you need a good foundation to build on, right? This oxtail stock is “the ultimate flavour base”, packed with gelatin, beefy flavour and pulled oxtail meat, it is quite literally one of the best stocks I’ve ever made. And now you can, too.
PHILOSOPHY
We are different from all other humans in history
From the drastic lowering of child mortality to the shifts in local and global stability, professor Brian Klaas looks at just a handful of the extraordinary differences that set apart modern humans from our ancestors
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“It was the most beautiful, heart-catching sight of my life,” says Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo 8 mission, as he looked back at the entirety of Earth from space. The first clear, color photograph of our planet was taken on December 24, 1968, during that mission.
The photograph, known as Earthrise, was the first time that humanity could see our comparative insignificance in the universe, understand viscerally the petty pointlessness of humans hurting and killing one another, and know the fragility of existence.
LITERATURE
First pages: The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
In his new Substack, former editor in chief of The Happy Reader Seb Emina shares a small, digestible unit of literature helping you answer the question What book should I read next?
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“I believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, determined to make the commencement of his story forcible and original enough to catch and rivet the attention of the most blasé of editors, penned the following sentence:
‘“Hell!” said the Duchess.’
Strangely enough, this tale of mine opens in much the same fashion. Only the lady who gave utterance to the exclamation was not a Duchess!
It was a day in early June. I had been transacting some business in Paris and was returning by the morning service to London where I was still sharing rooms with my old friend, the Belgian ex-detective, Hercule Poirot.”
GLOBAL ECONOMY
A pivotal year for Africa
This year will bring more debt, conflict, and a number of key elections across several countries. Georgetown academic Ken Opalo looks at 2024 on the continent
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While Africa will host 12 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies in 2024, much of the growth will be from a low base (made even lower by the COVID shock and its aftermath) and will barely make a dent on poverty rates in the face of rapid population growth. In addition, several countries’ growth will come from investments in hydrocarbons and other natural resources that create very few jobs and have limited multiplier effects on the wider economy.
Labor productivity in the wider region has stagnated for nearly two decades, and will likely continue to decline due to the low prospects of mass job creation in manufacturing or high-value-addition services.
NATURE
The beach in winter
Alongside intrepid surfers, ecologist Bradley Stevens explores a quiet coastline
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To visit the beach in winter is to experience the beach in its rawest form. There is nothing extraneous here to experience: no warm breezes to encourage relaxation or warm water for swimming. What remains of the beach are its bare physical properties: waves, wind, and sand. Here one can experience the beach itself without all the window dressing of summer occupants. Few living organisms brave the winter sands without necessity. Ghost crabs that normally scurry about between their hidey-holes have burrowed in for their long winter naps. Terns and plovers that would be hovering overhead have gone south for the winter. Conchs and mole crabs have moved offshore where they won’t be disturbed or exposed to freezing temperatures. Even the shoals of baitfish and mats of floating algae have drifted away to more accommodating climes. The only other residents are the solitary sanderlings, skittering between the waves, trying to keep their feet dry, and the occasional willet, visiting from the marshes and unafraid of the water.
HUMOR
The most bananas thing that happened this year
The comedian, writer, and “recovering lawyer” Sashi Perera went from 1 to 142,000 Instagram followers this year. In her new Substack, she shares one of the more bizarre requests that came her way as a result
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Perera inEarlier this year, I woke up to a strange email at a difficult time. After going viral in January I was getting used to strange things in my inbox, but this one was particularly odd. It said:
Hi—I saw your comedy clips on TikTok—if you’re free to perform at an event in Rome, let’s jump on a zoom to discuss.
Rome?! I’m barely known inside Australia, let alone across the equator. This was my first-ever invitation to perform across borders. I elbowed Charlie awake and excitedly shared this information. He said:
Babe that’s human trafficking 101, please delete that immediately.
Recently launched
New & noteworthy
Writers shared plans and intentions for the new year ahead:
In case you missed it, catch up with the live Q&A chat last week on college football playoffs:
As did illustrator
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Substack Reads is a weekly roundup of writing, ideas, art, and audio from the world of Substack. Posts are recommended by staff and readers, and curated and edited from Substack’s U.K. outpost by Hannah Ray.
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I wonder why the reader survey assumes we all live in the US? It asks if you are Republican or Democrat. What kind of a question is that for the rest of the planet? I didn’t fill it out as it is clearly targeted at US readers. Also I found the gender question rather 20th century...