The Flaneur
@theflaneurmagazine.bsky.social
An online literary magazine featuring original fiction, articles, columns, and reviews. More here: https://linktr.ee/iainmartin
Pinned
The Missing Pieces
Podcast Episode · The Flaneur Podcast · 31 August · 33min
podcasts.apple.com
This month on the Flaneur podcast, I'm joined by rock star, runner, chameleon, comedian, Corinthian,
(but most definitely not caricature) Elizabeth Nelson, who tries her elegant best not to imply that my musical tastes are a bit basic-bitch.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
(but most definitely not caricature) Elizabeth Nelson, who tries her elegant best not to imply that my musical tastes are a bit basic-bitch.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
Reposted by The Flaneur
I see there's a Queen in Budapest thing out. Did I ever mention I was there and did the last ever interview with Freddie Mercury?
quantick.substack.com/p/freddie-me...
quantick.substack.com/p/freddie-me...
Freddie Mercury in Budapest
Hungarian Rhapsody...
quantick.substack.com
October 8, 2026 at 7:31 AM
I see there's a Queen in Budapest thing out. Did I ever mention I was there and did the last ever interview with Freddie Mercury?
quantick.substack.com/p/freddie-me...
quantick.substack.com/p/freddie-me...
All the talk at Frankfurt Book Fair this week revolves around the publishing industry's fear that they stand on "the knife-edge of history", and that AI is going to spell the end of books as we know them.
October 8, 2026 at 12:46 PM
All the talk at Frankfurt Book Fair this week revolves around the publishing industry's fear that they stand on "the knife-edge of history", and that AI is going to spell the end of books as we know them.
She seems nice, and I'm sure this will foster an even-handed, nuanced and smart comms era.
October 4, 2026 at 8:59 PM
She seems nice, and I'm sure this will foster an even-handed, nuanced and smart comms era.
Reposted by The Flaneur
"We want this AI system in the hands of every med student at our med school" PLEASE NO
October 2, 2026 at 7:39 PM
"We want this AI system in the hands of every med student at our med school" PLEASE NO
Reposted by The Flaneur
Emmanuella was the only one in her family on Temporary Protected Status. Now that it’s gone, she’s leaving her job without a word, desperately dating to find a husband, and beginning to go underground. www.newyorker.com/news/our-loc...
The Quiet Unravelling of a Haitian Life in America
Emmanuella was the only one in her family on Temporary Protected Status. Now that it’s gone, she’s leaving her job without a word, desperately dating to find a husband, and beginning to go underground.
www.newyorker.com
October 2, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Emmanuella was the only one in her family on Temporary Protected Status. Now that it’s gone, she’s leaving her job without a word, desperately dating to find a husband, and beginning to go underground. www.newyorker.com/news/our-loc...
Hankies at the ready! theflaneurmagazine.substack.com/p/winterhill...
Winterhill: A Cold Day in Hell
Part Four
theflaneurmagazine.substack.com
October 2, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Hankies at the ready! theflaneurmagazine.substack.com/p/winterhill...
Reposted by The Flaneur
Hernan Diaz’s new novel, “Ply,” a follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, “Trust,” is a disappointment that fails at the central task of any ambitious end-of-the-world story, Jacob Brogan writes:
The Essential Element of a Postapocalyptic Story
Hernan Diaz’s new novel, 'Ply,' fails to fulfill the promise of every great end-of-the-world novel.
bit.ly
October 1, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Hernan Diaz’s new novel, “Ply,” a follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, “Trust,” is a disappointment that fails at the central task of any ambitious end-of-the-world story, Jacob Brogan writes:
First.Edition: Red Dwarf - Titan
by Rob Grant and Andrew Marshall
theflaneurmagazine.substack.com
October 1, 2026 at 11:09 AM
Reposted by The Flaneur
This two tier policing is disgraceful. It's as if there is one approach for people who helpfully film themselves committing crimes and another approach when there is insufficient evidence.
September 29, 2026 at 7:33 AM
This two tier policing is disgraceful. It's as if there is one approach for people who helpfully film themselves committing crimes and another approach when there is insufficient evidence.
I have a violin the size of a quark, and I'm playing an extremely mournful lament.
There's a new twist in New York's wildest real estate fight.
The Saudi businessman recruited by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to buy the iconic Pierre Hotel was supposed to put down a $100 million deposit weeks ago.
But the money is M.I.A.
www.vanityfair.com/story/pierre...
The Saudi businessman recruited by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to buy the iconic Pierre Hotel was supposed to put down a $100 million deposit weeks ago.
But the money is M.I.A.
www.vanityfair.com/story/pierre...
A New Twist in the Battle for the Billionaires’ Hotel
Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, and the King of Morocco were all approached to buy The Pierre, according to recently released documents reviewed by Vanity Fair. But it was Saudi businessman Motasem Kha...
www.vanityfair.com
September 29, 2026 at 1:29 PM
I have a violin the size of a quark, and I'm playing an extremely mournful lament.
On behalf of all podcast listeners in the US, let me just say this: verizon Fios, FUCK your crown molding.
September 29, 2026 at 12:09 AM
On behalf of all podcast listeners in the US, let me just say this: verizon Fios, FUCK your crown molding.
If anyone spots me uglycrying on the DC metro this week… I’m reading another doggy novel, and these generally break me apart with little prevarication. #BookSky #mondayreading #dogsofbluesky www.barnesandnoble.com/w/etna-paul-...
Etna: A Novel
Barnes & Noble’s online bookstore for books, NOOK ebooks & magazines. Shop music, movies, toys & games, too. Receive free shipping with your Barnes & Noble Membership.
www.barnesandnoble.com
September 28, 2026 at 9:24 PM
If anyone spots me uglycrying on the DC metro this week… I’m reading another doggy novel, and these generally break me apart with little prevarication. #BookSky #mondayreading #dogsofbluesky www.barnesandnoble.com/w/etna-paul-...
My wife has just found an unopened Go Team! record from 2004. It has now been opened.
September 25, 2026 at 11:58 PM
My wife has just found an unopened Go Team! record from 2004. It has now been opened.
A true story: I used to work with this guy at Simon & Schuster UK. A bit galling he's more infamous than I am, but then to me nothing is worth the inconvenience of being jailed.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/b...
Filippo Bernardini Scammed the Book Business for Years. Is He Back?
The man who admitted to stealing hundreds of manuscripts swore he’d never do it again. New online skulduggery resembles his old tricks, and then some.
www.nytimes.com
September 25, 2026 at 5:30 PM
A true story: I used to work with this guy at Simon & Schuster UK. A bit galling he's more infamous than I am, but then to me nothing is worth the inconvenience of being jailed.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/b...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/b...
September 25, 2026 at 3:52 PM
More confusing journalism from the #NME who describe this week's new song 'Silencio' as the LEAD SINGLE from U2's forthcoming new album, then go on to concede that 'Street of Dreams' came out a couple of months ago.
Are you guys OK?
www.nme.com/news/music/u...
Are you guys OK?
www.nme.com/news/music/u...
U2 announce long-awaited new album ‘Carnaval De Luz’ and share charismatic single ‘Silencio’
U2 have announced new album ‘Carnaval De Luz’, which features the last recorded vocal performance from Dolly Parton. Check out the details below, along with new single ‘Silencio’.
www.nme.com
September 25, 2026 at 3:50 PM
More confusing journalism from the #NME who describe this week's new song 'Silencio' as the LEAD SINGLE from U2's forthcoming new album, then go on to concede that 'Street of Dreams' came out a couple of months ago.
Are you guys OK?
www.nme.com/news/music/u...
Are you guys OK?
www.nme.com/news/music/u...
This world is a disgrace and I want no further part of it.
"RKF took money earmarked to provide health care for Black infants and spent it on his personal security detail" is a ludicrous headline.
Comic book villainy.
Comic book villainy.
Exclusive | RFK Jr.’s Enhanced Security Was Funded With Money From Minority Health Office
The cost of the health secretary’s security grew from roughly $10 million in fiscal year 2025 to $17 million in fiscal year 2026.
www.wsj.com
September 25, 2026 at 2:11 PM
This world is a disgrace and I want no further part of it.
Unconvincing Choice of James Bond Writer Makes Flippant Remark about Jack Lowden. www.nme.com/news/film/ja...
James Bond author says Jack Lowden is "not a convincing choice" for new 007
The author behind the latest James Bond novel has dismissed Jack Lowden as a potential candidate for 007, saying that he is not convincing
www.nme.com
September 24, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Unconvincing Choice of James Bond Writer Makes Flippant Remark about Jack Lowden. www.nme.com/news/film/ja...
Who will buy my excellent teeshirts?
September 23, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Who will buy my excellent teeshirts?
Tuesday. Again. Ugh, ugh, and thrice ugh.
September 22, 2026 at 12:41 PM
Tuesday. Again. Ugh, ugh, and thrice ugh.
I’ve only just noticed how much my dog looks like the actor David Thewlis.
September 22, 2026 at 1:34 AM
I’ve only just noticed how much my dog looks like the actor David Thewlis.
Someone needs to point out to the NME that Mark Frost is in fact the co-creator of Twin Peaks.
movieweb.com/twin-peaks-d...
movieweb.com/twin-peaks-d...
'Twin Peaks' Writer Reveals Whether New Series Without David Lynch Will Happen
"We'll see what happens."
movieweb.com
September 20, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Someone needs to point out to the NME that Mark Frost is in fact the co-creator of Twin Peaks.
movieweb.com/twin-peaks-d...
movieweb.com/twin-peaks-d...
Reposted by The Flaneur
Every discerning fan of popular music should register that ticket sales are growing scarce for the one-time-only-historical-anomaly Lisa Walker & Elizabeth Nelson house tour package occurring next week in venues ranging from the midwest to the Atlantic. Grab a seat at Undertow Music while you can.
September 19, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Every discerning fan of popular music should register that ticket sales are growing scarce for the one-time-only-historical-anomaly Lisa Walker & Elizabeth Nelson house tour package occurring next week in venues ranging from the midwest to the Atlantic. Grab a seat at Undertow Music while you can.
Is she a 21st-century influencer dreaming up the 1800s, or a woman from 1855 imagining Instagram?
Review of Yesteryear — the novel everyone's been reading this year 👇
theflaneurmagazine.substack.com/p/firstediti...
Review of Yesteryear — the novel everyone's been reading this year 👇
theflaneurmagazine.substack.com/p/firstediti...
First.Edition: Yesteryear
by Caro Claire Burke
theflaneurmagazine.substack.com
September 18, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Is she a 21st-century influencer dreaming up the 1800s, or a woman from 1855 imagining Instagram?
Review of Yesteryear — the novel everyone's been reading this year 👇
theflaneurmagazine.substack.com/p/firstediti...
Review of Yesteryear — the novel everyone's been reading this year 👇
theflaneurmagazine.substack.com/p/firstediti...