Hello! Today: of course I’m thinking about Heated Rivalry! Plus: Swedish poetry, friendship, museum repatriation and soothing architecture.

Article: Heated Rivalry and the Art of Anti-Dystopia by Jenka Gurfinkel, published on her Substack in January 2026

I’m still thinking about the ability to imagine a better future and the role of art in utopian thinking (see here and here for earlier renditions). Jenka Gurfinkel’s examination of joy, intimacy and the anti-dystopian thinking in the hit tv show Heated Rivalry made me think about it more in terms of the power of very popular art. “Joy in the present makes joy in the future seem plausible.” (I really loved Heated Rivalry, obviously.)

Film: Sorry, Baby, directed by Eva Victor (2025)

Speaking of joy: perhaps an odd word to associate with a film about dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault, but that’s what I felt when I left the cinema. Sorry, Baby seemed to me to be just as much about friendship and human connection – in fact, I think it showed one of the best film friendships I’ve seen in a long, long time! A real treat.

Book: Tomas Tranströmer

A year ago I spent a few cold January days in the Austrian countryside, where to my surprise I found a copy of Thomas Tranströmer’s collected poetry in German translation. His poems followed me back to, and consoled me at work, especially “In den Randgebieten der Arbeit”, translated by Wolfgang Butt. Der Mond der Freizeit kreist um den Planeten Arbeit. The moon of free time circles the planet work…

Learning: The Empire Gives Back by Susan Tallman, published in the New York Review of Books in January 2026

I loved this very thoughtful article about museum repatriation, the second of two articles by Tallman on the state of ‘world museums’.

Other: Anupama Kundoo

I recently saw an exhibition about Indian architect Anupama Kundoo’s work which I loved, in particular her Wall House and the importance of working with local artisans. The exhibition curators referred to it as soothing, restorative architecture – as opposed to much of contemporary architecture, which stands for notions of functionalism and spectacle. Bring back joy, once again!

That’s all for today. I hope you’re well! As always, you can find all past recommendations in this spreadsheet and you can read past newsletters in the archive.