'There must be ways to organise the world with language.'
From 'Binyavanga' by Pwaangulongii Dauod


The English language is like London, a cluster of myriad villages, each with its own atmosphere and particular cadences. This issue - our 150th - celebrates language, showcasing some of the most inventive writers of fiction today.


Sidik Fofana 'The Young Entrepreneurs of Miss Bristol's Front Porch'
Amy Leach 'How to Count Like a Pro'
Mazen Maarouf 'The Story of Anya'
Carmen Maria Machado 'The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror'
Tommi Parrish 'An Instrument of Pure Motion'
Che Yeun 'Yena'


Photographer Michael Collins chronicles his mother's life following a series of strokes, Oliver Bullough investigates the invention of shell companies in the British Virgin Islands, Andrew O'Hagan visits Carolyn, Neal Cassady's widow.


Plus: Pwaangulongii Dauod's eulogy for the late Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina.


Poetry: Jack Underwood and Jay G. Ying


Photography: Noriko Hayashi, and Ian Willms introduced by Adam Foulds