The pick of Picasso, p38

Silence is golden, p41

Arts 38 Andrew Lambirth Exhibition highlights of 2012 40 Theatre Richard II; Herding Cats

Lloyd Evans 41 Cinema The Artist

Deborah Ross Opera Wagner and Verdi Michael Tanner 43 Radio Kate Chisholm 44 Television Simon Hoggart Culture notes Scott Jordan Harris Travel Extra 46 Ride of a lifetime

A horseback safari Charles Moore 50 Return to Zimbabwe

Kate Eshelby 53 Man against mountain

Tackling the black runs James Delingpole 54 First steps on skis

Johnnie Kerr

55 Breaking the ice Alaska looks best by ship

Patrick Allitt 58 Cruising for Christmas

Life 63 High life Taki Low life Jeremy Clarke 65 Real life Melissa Kite Bridge Janet de Botton And finaly . . . 66 Chess Raymond Keene 67 Competition; Crossword 68Status anxiety Toby Young Dave Michael Heath 69 Sport Roger Alton Your problems solved Mary Killen 70 Food Tanya Gold Mind your language Dot Wordsworth

It is one thing to join a Facebook campaign, quite another to have your face smashed into a wall Anne Applebaum, p14

Nearing the end, Nancy Mitford said she would give anything for one last day of hunting. As I fly over those hedges, I know exactly what she meant Melissa Kite, p20

As we sang, I looked around in the darkness at the sporadically illuminated faces, and I was overcome with love for every one of us, even for myself Jeremy Clarke, p63

Contributors

Anne Applebaum is a columnist for the Washington Post, and a contributing editor of The Spectator. Her Gulag: A History won a Pulitzer Prize in 2004.

Dennis Sewell is the author of Catholics: Britain’s Largest Minority and a contributing editor of The Spectator.

the spectator | 31 December 2011 | www.spectator.co.uk

Jane Ridley is a senior tutor at the University of Buckingham. Her biography of Edward VII is out next year. Stuart Wheeler is a businessman and politician. He is treasurer of Ukip.

Ysenda Maxtone Graham’s most recent book is Mr Tibbits’s Catholic School.

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