This weekend's essential reading from the Guardian offers a powerful blend of poignant remembrance, stark reality, and surreal geopolitics. The selection, curated by Imogen Dewey, spans from heartfelt tributes to a late acting legend to the chilling testimony of a doctor returning to a war-ravaged homeland.
A Decade Without Alan Rickman: Tributes That Tug the Heartstrings
Ten years on from his passing, a collection of tributes to the beloved English actor Alan Rickman reveals the profound depth of his character off-screen. The stories paint a picture of a man who was far more than the iconic, often stern roles he played.
Colleagues and friends remember an "unusually loyal" and courteous man with meticulous standards and a great love for life. Anecdotes include him secretly arranging for terminally ill children to visit the Harry Potter set, always insisting on paying for dinner with a playful reference to his most famous franchise, and being a calming, reassuring presence. Actor Brian Cox noted Rickman had a unique way of "making people feel easy."
Perhaps the most moving recollection comes from Sigourney Weaver. She recalls meeting Rickman at a memorial in November 2015, where she enthusiastically suggested a sequel to Galaxy Quest. His gentle, hesitant response—"We'll see"—now carries a heartbreaking weight, a quiet acknowledgment of the illness he was privately battling.
From Prison to Rubble: A Gaza Doctor's Harrowing Homecoming
In a stark shift, the wrap features the devastating account of Dr Ahmed Muhanna, a senior anaesthesiologist from Gaza. After enduring 665 days in an Israeli prison, he returned home only to find his world obliterated.
Driven to his hospital, al-Awda, the scale of the destruction made his "skin crawl" and brought him to tears. The healthcare system he returned to is systematically shattered. He now faces an onslaught of disease and preventable deaths alongside his colleagues, mourning the loss of 75 staff from al-Awda killed during his detention. According to monitors, over 1,200 Palestinian healthcare workers have been killed since October 2023.
Surreal Spectres: The Unsettling Prospect of a US Takeover of Greenland
The weekend's reading takes a turn towards the surreal with a report from Nuuk, Greenland's capital. As rumours swirl about former US President Donald Trump's renewed interest in purchasing the vast autonomous territory, locals express alarm and a profound sense of uncertainty.
One woman voiced fears of compounding the generational trauma already inflicted by Danish colonisation, while her mother posed a simple, terrifying question: "If the soldiers are coming here, then what will they do?" The piece explores the diplomatic tensions and the palpable anxiety on the ground as Greenlanders confront this bizarre geopolitical possibility.
Further Highlights: Psychedelic Wisdom and Falling for the Bush
The wrap also includes a mesmerising interview with 96-year-old Chilean film-maker Alejandro Jodorowsky, who reflects on a life lived as "100 different lives" and faces mortality with remarkable joy. Meanwhile, writer Robert Dessaix pens a lyrical piece about his transformative connection to the Tasmanian bush, describing it as a living, breathing entity that changed him forever.
This collection serves as a powerful reminder of the breadth of human experience—from the enduring impact of kindness and artistry to the brutal realities of conflict and the enduring resilience of the human spirit in the face of both natural beauty and man-made destruction.
