Monocle Magazine Issue 149 (the Christmas Special) is available now on loremnotipsum.com. The Monocle’s December/January bumper issue will take you to the far reaches of the globe, from poring over design details in Uzbekistan to petting mountain rescue dogs in Alaska. Alongside our annual Soft Power Survey, we get the local view on Libya a decade on from Gaddafi’s fall and catch up with the president of Costa Rica at Cop26. We also take a drive around Detroit’s art scene and see why Lithuania’s second city is luring film scouts. Discover Monocle Magazine Issue 149.
Monocle magazine is a global look at current affairs, business, culture and design, with articles on politics and business in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas, news on global culture from cultural centres like Tokyo, Paris and London, and featuring inspiring designs. Published 10 times a year and with many fans of it’s style and content, Monocle provides a close look at everything going on in the world. Not the Harvard-produced satire of the ’60s, Monocle reports the parts of international affairs, policy, culture and social trends that are relevant to people also interested in furniture design, exotic travel and development theory. If this is you, then you’ve just found a new reason to get up in the morning. Newly created by the same team originally responsible for Wallpaper*, reading Monocle will make yourself more interesting. A cosmopolitan internationalist look at the world – a magazine for the thinking person.
Content
AT THE FRONT
EDITOR’S LETTERAt a time of year when the emphasis is on giving, some nations can look back on 2021 with more satisfaction than others, writes Andrew Tuck. We’ve taken note for Monocle’s annual Soft Power Survey, which forms only a part of our generously proportioned double issue.
THE OPENERArmy boy bands and musical car horns in India. Plus: Emile Mosseri on his new album and favourite Christmas tunes.
FLAKE NEWSBaker Ciro Scognamillo has created a new classic Neapolitan cake, the ‘fiocco di neve’. We take a bite.
BRAZIL’S BIG CATEsteemed journalist Glória Maria offers a timeless case study in the importance of engaging broadcast journalism.
CALL OF THE WILDIn the rugged wilderness of Alaska, people can easily become lost. Thankfully, a trusty pack of dogs and their human handlers are ready to help should something go awry.
THE AGENDA: GLOBAL BRIEFINGS
COMMENT:
NORWAYThe stories you should be paying attention to – and the ones you might have missed.
AFFAIRS: GLOBAL
How Abba’s humility has contributed to its soft-power success. Plus: trouble in Nicaragua.
BUSINESS: GLOBAL
How books are sold in Russia, flights are taking off in India and tattoos are fading in the US.
CULTURE: GLOBAL
Finds from the worlds of museums, publishing and K-pop, plus a popular podcast festival.
URBANISM AND DESIGN: GLOBAL
From Turin’s sky-high new development to a Tokyo architecture exhibition.
WORLD IN REACH
Our annual survey of the nations that have mastered the gentle art of making friends and influencing people.
RETURN TO HOPE
Ten years after the death of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya faces numerous challenges – not to mention military standoffs – in its bid to become the Dubai of north Africa. Yet as Mary Fitzgerald, Monocle’s correspondent in the region, finds on a visit to Tripoli, where she once lived, a period of calm is allowing people to dream again
.…and more!
INVENTORY AND EXPO: WHERE TO GO, BUY AND EAT
BAGS OF POTENTIAL
As Christmas beckons, we circumnavigate the globe with more efficiency and insider nous than Santa himself, dropping in on the finest spots and shops to source seasonal gifts in 10 of our favourite sleigh stops.
MERRY MASTERCLASS
To create the perfect Christmas vibe, you need to think about how everything will look and sound. To help you, we’ve gathered a team of seasonal experts.
TABLES OF CONTENTMENT
When it comes to the annual landmarks of your social calendar, little is more significant than the moment you set your festive table. Here, our friends in food and hospitality share their tips on how to get it just so.
ALL THE TRIMMINGS
Swiss chef Ralph Schelling prepares a festive meal for four with inspiration taken from across Europe. And there’s even a sandwich for the hosts to enjoy later.
WORLDWIDE WONDERLANDS
Wherever you might be, the festive season is a time of coming together. Yet every part of the world brings to the table its own delicacies, rituals and customs, from a hunt for an elusive almond to a shared bucket of KFC. Our writers unwrap what Christmas means in five cities.
STATUES OF LIBERTY
The upheavals of the 20th century have left an indelible mark on Lithuania’s second city. But as Kaunas becomes the European Capital of Culture for 2022, it is shrugging off the effects of a restrictive Soviet past to reveal the heritage of its liberating architecture. We head to Freedom Avenue to explore the places that make the country’s old capital unique.
ALL TOGETHER NOW
We’re in Stockholm and carolling in tune.
…and many more.
Details: Monocle Magazine Issue 149
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