'An ugly world with ramshackle houses and foul back alleys'

Anthony Burgess 30 years on

Dear members — that quote in the headline (“an ugly world with ramshackle houses and foul back alleys”) is not, in fact, our review of the Christmas markets, which have now opened across the city centre. It is Anthony Burgess writing without much charity or goodwill about his hometown of Manchester.

In today’s edition, we have a great piece from Ophira Gottlieb considering Burgess 30 years on from his death. She’s been reading his latest new publication — two translated plays — and thumbing through his novels to try to understand what we are still learning about Burgess, and also to examine the writer’s “complicated relationship with his Mancunian heritage”. Before that, we have a great mini-briefing, including an important update about the Old Courts in Wigan, and a little request for your help with our latest hiring process.

What the papers say: On Monday we told you about our latest press mention — a very positive appearance in the New Statesman (“Not everything that grows on the b…