28th August Newsletter
What’s On At Veranda
Welcome to this week’s newsletter! Smooth sailing this week as we coast through the last days of the summer break. There’s a bank holiday up ahead – and beyond that, the return to routine, however that looks for you. Here at Veranda, we’ve loved the change of pace and the chance to recommend a different type of book – whether to international visitors looking for the latest literary gems, or our regulars looking for a beach read.
But below the decks, we’ve been hard at work: lining up the best autumn releases, and filling the calendar with inspiring events. As the newsletter goes to press (aka ‘press send’), a couple more have just been confirmed – click on the link below for details, and we can’t wait to see you there!
Wishing everyone a restful long weekend – we’re open as usual on Saturday, but closed on Sunday.
The Things That Hold Us at Mandy Zhang Art
We’re always excited to see what our friends over at Mandy Zhang Art are up to, and we urge you to make time over the next few weeks to see their latest exhibition, The Things That Hold Us, which brings together paintings by Korean artist Heyo Lee, and photographs by Chinese artist Can Sun.
In their work, both artists depict everyday objects, while considering what these items convey beyond their practical function. The exhibition invites us to think about the often overlooked moments of life – our routines, repeated gestures, small moments – and how they become entwined with the ordinary objects through which we navigate daily life.
So go! What better opportunity to discover the work of two contemporary artists, and to take a moment to contemplate the significance of the objects we accumulate, and the metaphors they hold within themselves. (Running til the 3rd October)
As in Art, so in Books
We were very much inspired by Mandy Zhang’s new exhibition The Things That Hold Us, to reach for the novels in which daily rituals, everyday objects and smaller moments of life – traditionally seen as the ‘setting’ – come to the fore.
While we’re all for immersing ourselves in big, plotty books, we’d always argue that there’s a place for a ‘quieter’ reading experience. For subtle plots and unremarkable characters, the pages filled with the muted delights of the everyday. By suppressing plot at the expense of background ‘stuff’, what are these writers hoping to achieve? In our materialistic times, perhaps they’re holding a mirror up to society, raising questions around modern lifestyles. Yet it’s also the case that the focus on the mundane creates an intimacy through which the complexities of human life can be explored. Here are some of our recent favourites:
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The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş. Newlyweds Asya and Manu relocate to an unnamed city, from their native (unnamed) country, planning to “make a life” for themselves. They view apartments and hang out with their friend Ravi, little by little adding layers to their existence. Elegantly written, this is a poignant reflection on modern love.
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Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico (tr. Sophie Hughes) and Things by Georges Perec (tr. David Bellos). We’ve put these books side by side: the former is effectively an updated version of the latter, and both are slyly satirical. In Latronico’s 2020s Berlin, Anna and Tom have newly relocated to pursue their ambitions as ‘digital nomads’. Perec’s Sylvie and Jerôme leave France for Tunisia in the golden years of the postwar boom, driven by “the passion for a higher standard of living”. The way they live, the causes they align with, the ‘stuff’ they acquire – very of their time. But the thread connecting these novels, written 60 years apart: striving.
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The Beauty of Everyday Things by Soetsu Yanagi (tr. Michael Brase). A more literal look at the objects that surround us – and a manifesto for treating them with care and respect. Yanagi, a Japanese philosopher spent his life studying artisans in Japan and Korea, inspired by their commitment to simplicity and function, A contemplative antidote to the throwaway culture of the 21st Century.
Now Booking
Cinema in Translation
If you’re a keen cinema-goer, but your local’s still toggling between The Odyssey and Spider-Man, then you’ll be excited by what’s coming your way in the next few weeks. We love international cinema, and can’t wait to check out these festivals and special seasons at venues around the city:
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TURKISH GENRE CINEMA SEASON at THE NICKEL, CLERKENWELL: An independent cinema committed to screening “baffling, degenerate cinematic treasures”, The Nickel will this month be bringing you 6 films from the chaotic world of Turkish cult classics. Highlights include Şeytan (aka The Turkish Exorcist). Maybe head to their cool basement bar beforehand to settle your nerves. More details
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LONDON SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL at CINÉ LUMIÈRE & RIVERSIDE STUDIOS: now in its 22nd year, and with a fantastic line-up of films, documentaries and Q&A events from ‘all corners of Spain’. Most films are receiving their UK premieres here, and there is truly something for all tastes. We like the look of Hermanos (Bros), a Barcelona-set coming-of-age story, and Karmele, a sweeping historical drama adapted from Kirmen Uribe’s novel The Hour of Waking Together. More details
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NEW NORDIC VOICES:A CONTEMPORARY FILM FESTIVAL at UCL COMMUNITY CINEMA, STRATFORD: a free (!!), ticketed 3-day festival of recently released films curated by The School of European Languages at UCL, you can expect to find work in languages ranging from Finnish to Faroese. Renate Reinsve’s latest, Armand, might sound like the safe bet for a Saturday night. But doesn’t the series of Four Sámi Short Films sound way more intriguing?? More details
Our Recommended Reads
Life of M by Rachel Cusk
(An advance copy of Rachel Cusk’s new novel arrives at Veranda, and a small scuffle ensues as Leo & Alison discuss who gets to read it first. Leo wins. The resulting WhatsApp messages have now been mysteriously leaked…)
Leo: Once again, Rachel Cusk invents the novel.
Leo: 
Alison: Can I read it now please?
Leo: No
Leo: Camus meets Sophie Calle – soaked in classic British restraint
Alison: PLEASE!!
24 hours later…
Alison: Woah. It’s SO good
Leo: Perfection on every page
Alison: All that noise about [‘you know who’] is completely irrelevant. Annoying even
Leo: She’s there, and it is about identity and fame to a certain extent. But that isn’t really the point
Alison: It’s a perfect book. I could read it 20 times
Leo: I want to read it again. Utterly fascinating
Alison: It’s about how we all construct ourselves, deceive ourselves
Alison: Classic Rachel Cusk. Every word is deliberate, so clear. Uncompromising
Leo: How does someone even write like this?
Leo & Alison: 
Leo: And…how is it not on Booker list??
A unanimous Veranda Pick, we’ve got much more to say about this book. Grab your copy now and join in the conversation!
What we’re loving this week…
Emily happily became a guinea pig for our neighbour Wigmore Medical’s skincare training room. She got to test out the Hydra Glass facial. It was a surprisingly relaxing experience even with a whole room of specialists leaning over her face to take photos of the (glowy) results. Compliments welcome/expected on everyone’s next visit to the shop!
Leo went to the National Portrait Gallery to see the Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award. Celebrating the best in contemporary portraiture, this is a free exhibition on the 2nd floor. And if you go, of course you’ll find yourself wandering off to see all the other fine displays on show at this (fairly) recently revamped space.
Don’t forget to check out Tracey Emin’s forty-five faces on the bronze doors as you arrive/leave.
Alison went to the Saatchi Gallery to see The Sun and the Moon: Art Inspired by the Celestial. Set across 9 exhibition spaces, there are elements of art, science and folklore in this very comprehensively-curated show. A couple of major installations dominate, but there are plenty of smaller pieces to linger over, including works by Leonora Carrington and Paula Rego.
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