Anna Leszkiewicz

3 weeks ago | newstatesman.com | Anna Leszkiewicz

The sinking of the Titanic is one of those historic events that only grows more vivid in our cultural imagination as the years go by. More than a century later, everyone has a friend with encyclopaedic knowledge of what happened, and there have been countless retellings across novels, Hollywood films and television dramas that have made even small details of the story notorious (the Case of the Missing Binoculars!).

1 month ago | newstatesman.com | Anna Leszkiewicz

Amy Poehler may be another celebrity-turned-podcaster who enjoys submerging herself in cold water in the mornings, but that doesn’t mean she’s interested in that great obsession of modern culture, self-improvement. Her new show, Good Hang, was conceived in opposition to the wellness and therapy-adjacent shows out there that promise to make us “better” people. Instead, she promises us a low-stakes, high-comedy hour with other comedians and friends, with absolutely nothing instructive smuggled in.

2 months ago | newstatesman.com | Anna Leszkiewicz

Two contemporary stagings of Shakespeare opened in London this week. Though both attempt to locate the playwright in the present moment through knowing production design, modern soundtracks and a handsome Hollywood actor, they couldn’t be further apart in aesthetics. Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Jamie Lloyd with Marvel’s Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell as Benedick and Beatrice, is a riot of magenta confetti, air horns and pop music.

2 months ago | newstatesman.com | Anna Leszkiewicz

Show Don’t Tell is a slyly ironic title for the latest story collection by Curtis Sittenfeld, a writer who luxuriates in the telling. We speak of a writer’s “voice” – Sittenfeld’s is the kind you could pick out from the opposite end of a noisy, overcrowded room.

Jan 14, 2025 | newstatesman.com | Anna Leszkiewicz

Gisèle Pelicot was in her sixties when her children started to suspect she was exhibiting early signs of Alzheimer’s. At times, she seemed distracted, unable to remember details from the night before. She developed trouble sleeping and lost weight. One night, eating dinner with her husband, son and grandchildren, she slumped over in her chair. It was, her son said, “like her strings had been cut… She just sagged where she sat. Her eyes were empty.” Her husband carried her to bed.