Books
Restoration man
Given that he wrote and published some of the most stunningly handsome books of the 17th century, John Ogilby has…
The best Brontë
Fans of the novels and poems written by the sibling inhabitants of Haworth Parsonage always have a Top Brontë. Fame-seeking…
Only obeying orders
Spare a thought for the poor Gulag guard: the rifleman standing in the freezing wind on the outside of the…
A shameful whitewash
I have been researching and writing about black British history for over 30 years but never before have I been…
Licence to kill
As I read the last chapter of this book, news broke that the Russian ambassador to Ankara, Andrey Karlov, had…
Perfect Sunday evening schmaltz
Set in rural England in 1911, Tim Pears’s latest novel tells of a friendship between 12-year-old Leo, a precocious carter,…
Sweat-drenching, muscle-aching stuff
‘John, we need your autobiography.’ ‘I thought I’d express my life experience in song.’ ‘That’ll be fine.’ This would be…
An astronomical feat
Think of a computer and your mind might conjure the brushed steel contours of the latest must-have laptop or, for…
An unmagnificent seven
One of the most interesting developments in modern publishing has surely been the revival of interest in women writers of…
A gentle reproach to Shakespeare
A few years ago, I fell hopelessly in love with Harriet Walter. It only lasted an hour or two: she…
Hit for six
Frankie Howerd, the great, if troubled, comedian, was once asked whether he enjoyed performing. ‘I enjoy having performed,’ he replied.…
Power to the people
Jeremy Corbyn will probably enjoy this book — which doesn’t mean you won’t. Asked to name the historical figure he…
From Balzac to the Beatles
All biography is both an act of homage and a labour of dissection, and all biographers are jealous of their…
Not so cold-blooded
The recent furore over a freakshow ice rink in Japan, with hapless fishes embedded beneath the skaters’ feet, was inexplicable…
Emile in exile
Michael Rosen, a poet, journalist and prolific author of novels for children, has written an account of Emile Zola’s year’s…
Put out more flags
Did you know that 190 out of 200 nations in the world have either red or blue on their flags?…
Whisper who dares
Stand aside, Homer. I doubt whether even the author of the Iliad could have matched Alexis Peri’s account of the…
A fresh start
Most of us lead lives of quiet desperation. So we’re told. Frits van Egters apparently leads a life more desperate…
Homage to Mad Madge
There has never previously, I believe, been a novel about Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, one of the 17th century’s…
A truly monstrous regiment
When George Omona first saw soldiers in the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, he was amazed. The scary fighters who had…
Hitchcock’s favourite bird
‘The Birds is coming’ screamed the posters for Tippi Hedren’s only famous film. Well, the cats is coming in her…
Cuckoo in the nest
‘Light as a feather, free as a bird.’ Günter Grass starts this final volume of short prose, poetry and sketches…
Best of 2016
After a slow start 2016 turned out to be a pretty good year for Australian writing, with excellent books across…
Answers to ‘Spot the British Author’
1. Kingsley Amis 2. Beatrix Potter 3. Graham Greene 4. Salman Rushdie 5. Nick Hornby 6. Arthur Conan Doyle 7.…
The descent of man
Why do humans want to build robots? It seems, on the face of it, to be a suicidal endeavour, destroying…
