Lead book review
Nymphomaniac, fearless campaigner, alcoholic – Nancy Cunard was all this and more
Nancy Cunard’s defiance of convention began early, fuelled by bitter resentment towards her mother, says Jane Ridley
A pure original: the inventive genius of John Donne
John Donne sounds like nobody else, and his poems invite us to feel that we might know him, says Daniel Swift
Norman Scott has the last word on a very English scandal
Norman Scott’s long-anticipated memoir reveals the British Establishment at its worst, says Roger Lewis
Pablo Picasso in love and war
As Europe descended into chaos, the middle-aged Picasso remained as bullish as ever, says Craig Raine
Another fallen idol: the myth of Ferdinand Magellan debunked
Ferdinand Magellan’s fame was largely undeserved. Horatio Clare sees the explorer cut down to size
When Oxford life resembled a great satirical novel
Paula Byrne describes life at Oxford University in its eccentric heyday
Graham Robb deserves to be a French national treasure
Philip Hensher is enthralled by Graham Robb’s evocative new history of France
The fuss over Mary Seacole’s statue has obscured the real person
Mary Seacole may not have qualified as a nurse in the modern sense, but British troops benefited greatly from her healing skills, says Andrew Lycett
Truly magnificent: the splendour of Suleiman I
Suleiman I richly deserved his epithet, as this vivid account of his early years illustrates, says Jason Burke
Masters of the opium trade: the fabulous wealth of the Sassoons
David Abulafia admires the shrewdness, generosity and panache of the Sassoons over many generations
Watcher of the skies: John Constable, painter and meteorologist
Philip Hensher describes how John Constable’s energy and imagination freed British art from the constraints of the past
Eugenics will never work — thankfully
The creation of a master race is an ancient idea which, thankfully, can never work, says Sam Leith
The women who challenged a stale, male philosophy
Kathleen Stock describes how four women undergraduates in 1940s Oxford challenged an arid, modish philosophy
Formidable woman of letters: the grit and wisdom of Elizabeth Hardwick
Elaine Showalter celebrates the grit and wisdom of Elizabeth Hardwick
The first fairy stories were never intended for children
Philip Hensher explores the origins of fairy tales
The year of living dangerously
Atrocities, assassinations and spectacular accidents were just some of the horrors that marked 1922, says Richard Davenport-Hines
How Noddy and Big Ears conquered the world
Love her or loathe her, Enid Blyton and the safe, sunny world she cleverly marketed will remain a publishing phenomenon, says Sam Leith
A glimpse of the real Patricia Highsmith through her diaries and notebooks
Through her diaries and notebooks we finally catch a glimpse of the real Patricia Highsmith, says Christopher Priest
The life of René Magritte was even more surprising than his art
René Magritte’s life, so outwardly respectable, was as full of surprises as his art, says Philip Hensher
BOOKS OF THE YEAR II — a further selection of the books chosen by our regular reviewers
A further selection of the books enjoyed by some of our regular reviewers in 2021
Books of the Year I — chosen by our regular reviewers
Reviewers choose the books they have most enjoyed reading in 2021 — and a few that have disappointed them
Yours disgusted, H.G. Wells: the young writer finds marriage insufferable
After a wretched childhood, H.G. Wells was ruthless in making up for lost time, says Frances Wilson
Bright, beautiful and deceptively simple: the art of the linocut
Charlotte Hobson describes the complicated relationship of two artists who championed simplicity
Has George III been seriously maligned?
Americans regard George III as a power-crazed petty tyrant – but he was the very opposite, says Kate Maltby
Roberto Calasso’s retelling of the Hebrew Bible is both exasperating and beguiling
Robert Alter 18 December 2021 9:00 am
Robert Alter is both exasperated and beguiled by Roberto Calasso’s intellectual potpourri