Extremes of passion: What Will Survive of Us, by Howard Jacobson, reviewed
On first meeting, Sam and Lily both suffer a coup de foudre and embark on an affair involving submission and sado-masochism. But where will it lead?
Victims of a cruel prejudice: the last two men to be executed for sodomy in England
Chris Bryant describes in painful detail how James Pratt and John Smith, working-class men from the Midlands, fell foul of the ‘bloodthirsty English justice system’ in 1835
Saviours of souls: the heroism of lifeboat crews
Helen Doe’s moving history of the RNLI celebrates the volunteers who, over the centuries, have risked their own lives for those in peril on the sea
Heartbreak in the workplace: Green Dot, by Madeleine Gray, reviewed
Hera is 24, bisexual and usually dates women. But her infatuation with Arthur, an older, married journalist in her office, grows all-consuming
Progressives vs. bigots: How I Won a Nobel Prize, by Julius Taranto, reviewed
When a quantum physicist and her partner reluctantly move to a university staffed by cancelled luminaries the scene is set for a darkly comic clash of ideologies
Thugs in drape jackets: when the Teddy Boys ruled the roost
Bleak 1950s Britain saw the birth of the first working-class youth counterculture, but the Teds were a surprisingly short-lived – if violent – phenomenon
The perils of Prague: Parasol Against the Axe, by Helen Oyeyemi, reviewed
Three women with a criminal past meet for a weekend hen party – but any hopes of enjoying themselves are soon dashed
The greed and hypocrisy of the opium trade continue to shock
Amitav Ghosh admits he found writing his history difficult because of the obscene profiteering and suffering he had to cover
Canterbury Cathedral’s ‘rave in the nave’ is indefensible
It’s too late to get tickets for Canterbury Cathedral’s silent disco tonight – as with last night’s event, they sold…
Democrats face a self-reinforcing 2024 nightmare
Yesterday was a year’s worth of a rising wave that came crashing down on Democratic hopes for 2024. They had…
Politicians must permit Australians to speak up
At a recent public meeting in regional Australia, I asked what politicians could do to capitalise on the current mood…
The dying of Down Under
A lot of Australians are dying. Many politely say: We need to know why. …but really now, how long must polite…
Joe Biden isn’t working
Joe Biden isn’t working. That much has been clear to anyone who has followed American politics for the past four…
What Tucker Carlson should have asked Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin relished being interviewed by American journalist Tucker Carlson, who doesn’t seem to know much about Russia, Ukraine or…
Tucker Carlson failed Putin’s history class
They say that he who sups with the devil should have a long spoon. But, driven by vanity and unconstrained…
