The Beach

Thrill ride through a "maximum city" Thrill ride through a "maximum city"
Danny Boyle talks about shooting his Dickensian quiz-show saga "Slumdog Millionaire" on the streets of Mumbai (a podcast and interview).
"The Coma" by Alex Garland "The Coma" by Alex Garland
A man wakes after a brutal subway assault to a world that isn't quite right, in this brief but unputdownable summer read from the author of "The Beach."
The other beach
In the unimpressive wake of "The Beach," a local director releases quite a different take on life in Thailand.
Egomania!
Lucianne Goldberg's is monumental; Judge Jerry's is bigger than Judge Judy's; Rick Rockwell's is black-and-blue; but Muhammad Ali's is definitely the greatest of all time.
Beach bummer blaze-a-thon
Thais still burning mad over DiCaprio's movie; Robert Downey Jr. has prison revelation: It's not a nice place! Bijou Phillips to Howard Stern: All rumors are true! Katie Couric's inside edition. Plus: Porn star Lolo "58F" Ferrari is called home.
Letters to the editor
A good nanny is hard to find -- so is a good employer. Plus: Lonely Planet writer defends guidebooks from author of "The Beach"; should celebrities' writings remain private?
Beach nut
An interview with Alex Garland, bestselling and occasionally controversial author of "The Beach."
"The Beach"
No phone, no lights, no motorcar -- not a single luxury! Leonardo DiCaprio and the "Trainspotting" creators can't rescue Alex Garland's trouble-in-paradise bestseller from trite moralizing.
A few good young guns at the firm
A slap in the face and a sock in the pants: Tom Cruise gets his Calvins in a wad over "Magnolia" fluffed-or-stuffed controversy. Plus: Papa Leo? Virginie Ledoyen denies paternity rumors in the cutest French accent.
A good man is hard to write
Hemingway-tough or Fitzgerald-sensitive? Today's novelists scramble for a masculinity that doesn't seem fake.
Goodbye, Khao San Road
As he leaves Southeast Asia, our Vagabonding correspondent reflects on the evolution of the middle-class travel revolution.
Backstage on "The Beach"
A backpacker's quest to storm Leonardo DiCaprio's movie set ends in an epiphany that won't play in Peoria.
Storming 'The Beach'
When he tries to infiltrate a movie set on a heavily guarded Thai island, Rolf Potts embarks on a rollicking post-modern travel adventure, somewhat starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
"Bitch"
"Bitch" is an excerpt from Alex Garland's novel "The Beach".
Beach Boy
26-year-old Alex Garland, author of the harrowing novel "The Beach," talks about the quest for mystery in a world that's too well known.

Daily Newsletter

Get Salon in your mailbox!