Rainer Sonntag was a far-right vigilante. He was also a Communist spy.
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Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Recommending stories from Viola Zhou, Mina Tavakoli, Stephanie Krzywonos, Maggie Millner, and Joe Hagan.
Posted inNewsletter
Ice Cream Panic, Airship Catastrophe, and our Top 5
“But, for me, the classic is an oyster: a scalloped, hinged wafer dipped in mallow and chocolate, with desiccated coconut at the edges, piped full of vanilla soft serve and squiggled madly with monkey’s blood (OK, raspberry sauce).” This summer, I have spent a lot of time in England, and a particular vehicle has been […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
There Is No Such Thing As Italian Food
“Italy’s cuisine has long been defined by foreign flavors. But with anti-immigration sentiment rising and the climate changing, will Italians continue to embrace new ingredients and ideas from abroad?”
Posted inNonfiction
‘Raphael Couldn’t Have Painted Something More Beautiful’
The couple who saved an imprisoned artist’s life — and the extraordinary gift he gave in return.
Posted inFeature
Best of 2025: All Our Number Five Story Picks
Every story we selected for the number five slot in our weekly newsletter, in a handy digest.
Posted inNonfiction
Longreads Best of 2021: All of Our No. 1 Story Picks
Here’s every story that was chosen as No. 1 in our weekly Top 5 email.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Wings, Sweat, and Tears
While it’s not the first in-depth story about the capsaicin-fueled mayhem of YouTube talk show Hot Ones (see: this 2019 Verge story), Jaya Saxena’s piece goes beyond profile to something more like exegesis. We know that Scoville units introduce a candid new wrinkle to the tired celebrity interview; now, the question becomes what to do […]
Posted inReading List
Buon Appetito: A Reading List on Italian Food
Six stories to challenge your assumptions about one of the world’s most iconic cuisines.
Posted inCommentary, Current Events, Discussions, Podcasts
Editor’s Roundtable: Just Put Some Eyes On There (Podcast)
Longreads editors discuss stories in Grub Street, The New Yorker, Gay Magazine, and The Verge.
