12 Days of Stories to Share
What are the FT stories from the past year that have really stuck in the minds of our journalists? The stories that challenged them, enlightened them, or simply entertained them? From Christmas Day to January 6, we will be bringing you a daily story from the archives, chosen by senior FT writers and editors. Read them, enjoy them, then share them with friends and family, who can also read them for free simply by registering with FT Edit.
On the first day of Christmas . . .
The secret history of the red book of Hamlet
Chosen by Cordelia Jenkins, editor of the FT Magazine
“This is the story of how a little red-bound volume of Shakespeare’s Hamlet was passed down through the generations, actor to actor, from one great Hamlet to the next. It is a mystery, but at its heart is a bigger question about the ephemeral nature of fame, and how greatness is defined. The interviews with some of the legends of British theatre are wonderful and the details uncovered are fascinating.”
On the second day of Christmas . . .
Who really murdered Pier Paolo Pasolini?
Chosen by Simon Kuper, FT columnist
“This is the best kind of murder mystery: a compelling whodunnit that also casts light on a person, an era and an entire country. I like how it’s told straight, without embroidery, and by a native Italian FT journalist who understands the country and era intimately and also introduces herself into the story but only at the margins and appropriately. I wish I could have written it.”
On the third day of Christmas . . .
The music executive all the sad girls want
Chosen by Lilah Raptopoulos, FT culture writer
“I loved Anna Nicolaou’s piece on the making of a modern pop star. Such a big, excellent question with a satisfying answer. That first scene, where Dr Dre is telling off all these music yes-man music executives for being ‘really vague and generic’ just hit the spot!”
On the fourth day of Christmas . . .
Peter Hargreaves: ‘I can never see the point of spending money for the sake of it’
Chosen by Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator
“This one struck me as a masterpiece. It was both very funny and informative. I think often the best ‘Lunches with the FT’ are about people who come across as rather unpleasant — but are also often high achievers, lacking in self consciousness. Hargreaves fits those criteria. Also I’m one of his clients, so was interested to find out about him.”
On the fifth day of Christmas . . .
We will be living in Trumpland for decades
Chosen by George Parker, political editor
“I could have picked any of Janan Ganesh’s columns: nobody matches him for his deft use of language, cutting insights and ability to wind people up with the insouciance of his flaneur lifestyle. I love this: ‘Whatever happens next week, we will be living in Trumpland for decades. Yes, I’ll manage, thanks. Besides some marginal trimming of restaurant wine lists, it is odd how little an era of global economic fragmentation incommodes a man.’”
On the sixth day of Christmas . . .
How trading firms displaced banks as the titans of Wall Street
Chosen by Brooke Masters, US financial editor
“This is the first in a brilliant series about the secretive traders who have left the big Wall Street banks in the dust as they gobble up much of the market in stocks, bonds and complex financial coverage. This is the FT at its best: shining a light on a poorly understood but vitally important part of the financial system in a readable way that pulls no punches.”
On the seventh day of Christmas . . .
How to lose sight of what’s important
Chosen by Janine Gibson, FT Weekend editor
“We’ve published so many brilliant, erudite, insightful, moving and amusing pieces over the last year, but this column from one of our finest writers, Bryce Elder, is all of those things in a tight 750 words. It is my favourite column of 2024.”
On the eighth day of Christmas . . .
Immigration is both essential and impossible
Chosen by Martin Wolf, the FT’s chief economics commentator
“Immigration has become the hottest of all political potatoes. In this column, I argued that rich countries with few young people and a rising proportion of old one will have to accept immigration, like it or not. The solution might be a big increase in temporary immigration.”
On the ninth day of Christmas . . .
Last days of the lonely interstellar spacecraft
Chosen by Roula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times
“There are far too many wonderful pieces of FT journalism from last year. One that stood out to me was Oliver Roeder’s ‘Last Days of the Lonely Interstellar Spacecraft’. It is a poetic meditation on humanity’s reach into the cosmos, blending science, emotion, and the poignant beauty of exploration’s end.”
Come back tomorrow for Pilita Clark’s pick.
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