Battle of the botanic garden: the horticulture war roiling the Isle of Wight – Mark O’Connell When a US businessman took over a beloved garden a decade ago, he decided on a radical new approach, all in the name of sustainability. But angry critics claim it’s just plain neglect How Deborah Levy can change your life – Charlotte Higgins From her shimmering novels to her ‘living autobiographies’, Deborah Levy’s work inspires a devotion few literary authors ever achieve Weizenbaum’s nightmares: how the inventor of the first chatbot turned against AI – Ben Tarnoff Computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum was there at the dawn of artificial intelligence – but he was also adamant that we must never confuse computers with humans The trials of an Indian witness: how a Muslim man was caught in a legal nightmare – Rahul Bhatia Nisar Ahmed was almost killed in the Delhi riots. But when he became a witness in court cases against the alleged perpetrators, he realised that was only the start of his troubles Foreign mothers, foreign tongues: ‘In another universe, she could have been my friend’ – Dina Nayeri Having grown up in different cultures with different expectations, my mother and I have often clashed. But as my daughter grows older, I have come to see our relationship in a different light ‘We are just getting started’: the plastic-eating bacteria that could change the world – Stephen Buranyi When a microbe was found munching on a plastic bottle in a rubbish dump, it promised a recycling revolution. Now scientists are attempting to turbocharge those powers in a bid to solve our waste crisis. But will it work? Days of The Jackal: how Andrew Wylie turned serious literature into big business – Alex Blasdel Andrew Wylie is agent to an extraordinary number of the planet’s biggest authors. His knack for making highbrow writers very rich helped to define a literary era – but is his reign now coming to an end? ‘All that we had is gone’: my lament for war-torn Khartoum – Nesrine Malik Since Sudan’s capital was engulfed by violence in April, life there has been all but destroyed. As we tried to get family members to safety, the ruination of my former home became hard to fathom Chainsaws, disguises and toxic tea: the battle for Sheffield’s trees – Samira Shackle What started out as a small protest escalated into a decade-long struggle between the council and hundreds of ordinary people who decided to take radical action to save their city’s trees The impossible job: inside the world of Premier League referees – William Ralston Players, pundits and fans complain bitterly that referees are getting worse each season – but is that fair? (Football fans should also see this piece about Juventus) Dark waters: how the adventure of a lifetime turned to tragedy – Sally Williams The Clipper round the world yacht race was created for amateurs seeking the ultimate challenge. But did they underestimate the risks? ‘Incoherence and inconsistency’: the inside story of the Rwanda deportation plan – Daniel Trilling There were so many warnings it would fail. How did it get this far? The war on Japanese knotweed – Samanth Subramanian Once hailed as a ‘handsome’ import, this most rampant of plants has come to be seen as a sinister, ruinous enemy. Can it be stopped? The widow and the murderer: a friendship born of tragedy – Giles Tremlett A decade after Maixabel Lasa’s husband was shot by Basque separatists, she received a message from one of his killers. He wanted to meet her One Swedish zoo, seven escaped chimpanzees – Imogen West-Knights When the great apes at Furuvik Zoo broke free from their enclosure last winter, the keepers faced a terrible choice. This is the story of the most dramatic 72 hours of their lives ‘I remember the silence between the falling shells’: the terror of living under siege as a child – Zarlasht Halaimzai I was 10 years old in 1992 when Kabul was bombarded by warring forces, and life became a cycle of hunger, fear and horror. Then as now, children bear the brunt of war Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: three days with a giant of African literature – Carey Baraka The Kenyan novelist’s life and work has intersected with many of the biggest events of the past century. At 85, he reflects on his long, uncompromising life in writing ‘I know where the bodies are buried’: one woman’s mission to change how the police investigate rape – Melissa Denes For the past two years, Betsy Stanko has been leading an unprecedented investigation into why the police have been failing so badly to tackle sexual violence. But is there any chance of fixing a system that seems so broken? A funeral for fish and chips: why are Britain’s chippies disappearing? – Tom Lamont Plenty of people will tell you the East Neuk of Fife in Scotland is the best place in the world to eat fish and chips. So what happens when its chippies – and chippies across the UK – start to close? Last love: a romance in a care home – Sophie Elmhirst Mary and Derek weren’t the first couple to get together at Easterlea Rest Home. But those other relationships had been more like friendships – and this was something else entirely And finally: In case you’re curious, these were our Top 10 most read pieces of 2023 and these were the 10 most read pieces from our archive. Several of these pieces appear in The Guardian Long Read magazine – a beautifully bound 100-page special print edition, available to order from the Guardian bookshop and on sale at selected WH Smith Travel stores Follow the Long Read on Twitter at @gdnlongread, sign up to the long read weekly email here, and find our podcasts here Show your support for the Guardian’s open, independent journalism in 2023 and beyond, including the long read