Lead book review
Ladies’ man: Tom Stoppard’s love life revealed
Tom Stoppard is a non-stop genius of jokes – but many of them make his latest biographer uneasy, says Craig Raine
City of dazzling mosaics: the golden age of Ravenna
Ian Thomson describes Ravenna’s golden age, when classical Rome, Byzantium and Christianity met
Hitler’s admiration has severely damaged Wagner’s reputation
Wagner gripped the communal mind for decades after his death. Philip Hensher examines his enduring influence
The paradox of Graham Greene – searching for peace in the world’s warzones
Graham Greene was constantly searching for peace of mind along with escapist thrills, says Nicholas Shakespeare
Toussaint Louverture: the true hero of Haiti
Toussaint Louverture’s ‘crazy dream’ for Haiti has still to be realised, says Amy Wilentz
Sport, for the English, has always been a defiant assertion of liberty
The history of English sport reflects a defiant people determined to protect their ancient prerogatives, says Alex Massie
The Big Tech firms are dividing the world between them
Cory Doctorow on the vast, impersonal forces manipulating our lives
The heroic couple who defied Hitler
Philippe Sands on the heroic couple who defied Hitler and paid the ultimate price
Will the universe end with a bang or a bounce?
Alexander Masters speculates on how the universe will end
We should learn to love sharks, not demonise them
Sharks may inspire fear and loathing, but we are the crueller predators, says Philip Hoare
Where are the scents of yesterday? Entire countries have lost their distinctive smell
Michael Bywater wonders why the existence of smell still seems such a guilty secret
How far can we trust the men in lab coats?
Research has always been susceptible to fraud, but regulations are now much tighter than they were, says David Wootton
It was Bevin, not Bevan, who was the real national treasure
Alan Johnson pays tribute to Ernest Bevin, a towering political figure too often forgotten
How do we greet one another today?
Conversation is a fascinating subject, says Philip Hensher – but very few people get it right
Splashing the cash at VIP nightclubs is now the favourite recreation of the rich
The spectacular extravagance of the VIP nightclub ‘experience’ could be the last bonfire of the vanities, says Lynn Barber
The history of Thebes is as mysterious as its Sphinx
The Spartans were not the only Greeks to die at Thermopylae. On the fateful final morning of the battle, when…
The many rival identities of Charles Dickens
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst explores the many rival identities of Charles Dickens
How kind is humankind?
Are humans by nature really more puppy than wolf? Oren Harman tests the science
Where did birds first learn to sing?
Fieldwork can move the most rigorous scientist to lyricism, as Mark Cocker discovers
The genuine polymath is still one in a million
With unlimited information just a click away, everyone can pass as a polymath today, says Philip Hensher
A ‘loneliness pandemic’ could prove as dangerous as coronavirus
Adrian Woolfson explains the essence of pandemics – and how we can expect many more of them
From ‘divine Caesar’ to Hitler’s lapdog – the rise and fall of Benito Mussolini
Mussolini dreamed of a new Roman empire and dominion over the Mediterranean. Two decades later he was hanging by his feet in a public square, as Ian Thomson relates
Moscow rules in London: how Putin’s agents corrupted the British elite
Putin’s corrupt cronies may change, but the paranoid world view they all share remains the same, says Owen Matthews
The cult of Sappho in interwar Paris
Philip Hensher describes how Paris became a magnet for literary-minded lesbians in the early 20th century – where they soon caused quite a stir
Excess and incest were meat and drink to the Byrons
Excess, incest and marital misery were in the blood. Frances Wilson uncovers several generations of infamous Byrons