Five Dials
Five Dials was a literary magazine published by Hamish Hamilton from 2008–2023.
Its sixty-six issues featured contributions from a wide array of writers and illustrators, including W.G. Sebald, Ali Smith, Geoff Dyer, Candice Carty-Williams, Raymond Pettibon, Javier Marías, Joe Dunthorne, Sophie Mackintosh, Richard McGuire, Zadie Smith, Stanley Donwood, Robert Macfarlane, Sheila Heti, Lydia Davis, Deborah Levy, Bernardine Evaristo, and many more.
We’ve stopped publishing new issues, but each PDF is available to download for free in our archive.
To see a collection of Five Dials posters designed by Nat Damm, click here.
To join the mailing list of editor Craig Taylor, click here.
*
Iain Sinclair on Turgenev, advice from Alain de Botton, three poems from Joe Dunthorne, Rachel Lichtenstein in the depths of London's diamond district, and Robin Yassin-Kassab in Syria.
*
Jay Griffiths amongst the ancient trees, Robert Macfarlane on a latter-day Thoreau, fiction from Arthur Bradford, Guerilla Gardening, and a few letters from Raymond Chandler.
*
David Rakoff on a New York classic, Jonathan Safran Foer's favourite artist, Sheila Heti writes a serious practical joke, Cheryl Wagner tours a ruined New Orleans, plus Jean-Paul Sartre.
*
Election predictions from Harry Shearer, Lydia Millet, Suketu Mehta, Kevin Brockmeier, Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, and many others. Noam Chomsky on wars (endless) and bailouts (for the rich.)
*
W.G. Sebald shares his maxims. Kurt Weill opens his letters. Poetry from Stephen Dunn, art from Leanne Shapton, Oliver Bullough in Abkhazia, and Roger Deakin on his love of digression.
*
The Obscenity Issue, featuring Jello Biafra, Arundhati Roy, Art Spiegelman, John Mortimer, Danish cartoons, and Paul Maliszewski on Obama. Plus, Bobby Gillespie remembers Lux Interior.
*
Paul Ewen gets uncomfortably close to John Banville. Plus Diana Athill, the lost Raymond Chandler — Ian Fleming interview, new poetry from Paul Farley, and memoir by Bernardine Evaristo.
*
The Paris Issue. Paris belongs to all of us, says Ali Smith. Geoff Dyer in the Chanel tunnel. Londoners vs. Parisians, by Paul Davis. Plus, you know, Sontag, Camus, Capote, Updike, Toltz.
*
The Fiction Issue. Featuring new work from Helen Oyeyemi, James Kelman and Philip Langeskov. Plus, Philip Roth, B.S. Johnson, Leontia Flynn, Jonathan Coe, and a fiery essay by David Shields.
*
A Celebration of the Life and Work of David Foster Wallace. Featuring remembrances from Don DeLillo, George Saunders, Jonathan Franzen, Michael Pietsch, and Zadie Smith.
*
Roberto Bolaño: "Posthumous: it sounds like the name of a Roman gladiator." Plus poetry from Melissa Broder, fiction from Paul Murray, and Jon Savage's reappraisal of 1974.
*
The Utterly Broken Britain Issue. Featuring interviews with 42 citizens on the state of the nation. Plus: death duels, typewriters, circumcision, and intergenerational love affairs.
*
The Festival Issue. Artwork by Raymond Pettibon. Contributions from LCD Soundsystem, The Weakerthans, Luna, Guided by Voices, Arcade Fire. Also: Mike Watt on Iggy Pop.
*
Orhan Pamuk tells the story of his father's suitcase.
*
The Québec Issue. Featuring Leonard Cohen, Gil Courtemanche, David Shields, Madeleine Thien, Rawi Hage, Raymond Chandler, Julie Doucet, and Claude Mathieu.
*
Things We Found in the Snow. A Christmas story from Anton Chekhov. Artwork from Julie Doucet (again; lucky us). And the late great Heathcote Williams on the Queen's Nipple Tassels.
*
In Jaipur. Eagles attack Kamila Shamsie. Patrick French introduces India's new Michael Jackson. Plus James Kelman, Tishani Doshi and Henning Mankell on being human.
*
A bouquet for Sybille Bedford. Featuring roast fillet of pork with fresh sorrel melted in cooking juices, braised endive, a salad of peaches and redcurrants, and some good cheese.
*
Five poems by Michael Robbins. Plus Gaddafi, and a very brief mention of Natalie Portman.
*
The Parenting Issue. Featuring Katha Pollit, Louis Theroux, Alain de Botton, Kevin Baker, Alexandra Styron, our favourite Seinfeld writer, and a bunch of nine-year-olds.
*
General Interest. Jon McGregor's footnotes, new fiction from Kirsty Gunn, a memorial to Guru from Gang Starr, plus Jonathan Safran Foer, Keith Ridgway, and Hemingway's wine.
*
Rock School. Featuring Del the Funkee Homosapien, Ladytron, Moldy Peaches, Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Kid Koala, Raymond Chandler, and a tour of Virginia Woolf's bomb-scarred city.
*
Why Willows Weep. William Fiennes on the ash, Maggie O'Farrell on the oak, Tracy Chevalier on the birch, and many others: Philip Hensher, Ali Smith, Kate Mosse, Richard Mabey.
*
Hating The Leopard. A single essay by Javier Marías.
*
The 'B' Issue. Amy Leach on bamboo. John Banville on beginnings (and middles and endings). Three stories by Bridget O'Connor. Also, bear imagery from Becky Barnicoat.
*
The Big, Corking Fiction Issue. Featuring new short stories from Lydia Davis, Kevin Barry, Zsuzsi Gartner, and Mike McCormack. And then there's the three poems by Joe Dunthorne.