Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Matt Stopes via Instagram

3 Midweek Longreads: I lost my iPhone... and became a celebrity in China

Longreads to savour or save.

IF YOU WANT a juicy longread to sink your teeth into, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are three to save for a moment of peace, or devour straight away.

1. Losing my iPhone and becoming a celeb

Matt Stopera, who writes for Buzzfeed, lost his iPhone. Then he discovered that it had been sold to a guy in China. Then people in China got wind of the story, and tried to get the two men to meet…

[Buzzfeed, 29 mins]

For a month, this orange man’s pictures keep on showing up on my phone. I start to get used to the daily photo updates, and it becomes fun for me to check my phone and see this guy’s pictures. It’s mysterious.

2. Boston bombing

The ‘most ferocious lawyer in America’ is defending Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Here’s a profile of Judy Clarke’s incredible career.

[Vanity Fair, 32 mins]

Clarke has taken one notorious death-penalty case after another. There was Ted Kaczynski, the deadly Unabomber, now living out his days in a super-max prison in Colorado, and still furious with his onetime defense attorney (“Judy Clarke is a bitch on wheels and a sicko,” he wrote me

3. Who is Elena Ferrante?

Elena Ferrante is the pseudonymous author of six books, all released since 1992. But who is she, or he? An attempt at discovering the truth.

[N Plus One Mag, 52 mins]

One answer ends in o: the first name of a man. Whether to goad Ferrante out of privacy or because they think it’s true, the Italian newspaper L’Unità has accused the novelist Domenico Starnone of penning her books. If Starnone is behind Ferrante’s work, I would like to meet him. No man I know would write so well and not take credit for it.

Love longreads? Check out Sitdown Sunday every week>

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
4 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds