Books
Did Mrs Thatcher ‘do’ God? Denis thought so, and he should know, says Charles Moore
As I swink in the field of Thatcher studies, this book brings refreshment. It is a welcome and rare. Far…
Taxi ride to the dark side: a thrilling blast of full-strength Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh, I think it’s safe to say, is not a writer who’s mellowing with age. His latest book sees…
Dreaming of a golden future: there will always be people willing to sacrifice all in the pursuit of gold
In 2008, the price of gold lofted above $1,000 an ounce for the first time in history, inspiring a rush…
Sense and sensibility: what your fingertips tell your brain
I used to think we had five senses — sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. And I used to think…
As deadly as the male: female Russian pilots of the second world war were femmes fatales in every sense
The name Lyuba Vinogradova may not ring any bells, but her ferrety eye for spotting a telling detail may already…
Under Harry Potter’s spell: most children’s books have become shamelessly derivative, says Melanie McDonagh
Go to any bookshop — always supposing you’re fortunate enough to have any left in your neck of the woods…
Too Many Poets
Too many poets pack a line with thought But melody refuses to take wing. It’s not that meaning has been…
Ebola personified: a cackling villain with a master plan of destruction
Remember Ebola? It killed more than 8,000 people last year — before we were all Charlie — with a quarter…
King John was not a good man: two distinguished historians echo A.A. Milne
This being the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, it is not surprising that there should be two…
Why is a fish like a bicycle? Pedro Friedeberg’s letters to Duncan Fallowell may provide a clue at last
Duncan Fallowell on the elusive Mexican artist and man-of-letters who has been his friend and faithful correspondent over many years — though they have never met
Books and arts
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What’s to become of Pedro Friedeberg’s letters?
The year 2015 has been designated one of Anglo-Mexican amity, with celebrations planned in both countries by both governments. But…
Too Many Poets
Too many poets pack a line with thought But melody refuses to take wing. It’s not that meaning has been…
What’s to become of Pedro Friedeberg’s letters?
The year 2015 has been designated one of Anglo-Mexican amity, with celebrations planned in both countries by both governments. But…
Too Many Poets
Too many poets pack a line with thought But melody refuses to take wing. It’s not that meaning has been…
The other trenches: the Dardanelles, 100 years on
Peter Parker discerns classical allusion amid the horror in two books commemorating the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign
When Rex met Edith: a meeting of minds in interwar England
Rex Whistler — this book’s ‘bright young thing’ — was an artist of the 1920s and 1930s, and Edith Olivier,…
Back to Bedlam: Patrick Skene Catling on the book that makes madness visible
Madness is an ancient, evidently inscrutable mystery, often regarded with superstitious fear, yet can provide a refuge from reality. Sometimes,…
The secret life of the short story
The short story likes to play the underdog. Famously unfavoured by publishers, it has none of the commercial clout of…
Melissa Kite comes out fighting. Again
Madison Flight is a divorce lawyer, nicknamed ‘the Chair-Scraper’ for the number of times she leaps to her feet arguing…
The self-taught maritime artist who transcends ‘naïve’ cliché
In the manner of Richard Holmes’s Footsteps, Julia Blackburn’s story of John Craske is as much autobiography as biography, as…
Justin Cartwright on redheads, anti-Semitism and the betrayal of Christ
Peter Stanford is a writer on religious and ethical matters. He was for four years editor of the Catholic Herald.…
Brian Sewell does some donkey work: how Britain’s best-known art critic put his ass on the line
I suppose all children’s authors write the stories they would have liked to read as children. But in the case of…
Ghost Hands
Sant’Apollinaire Nuovo, Ravenna Your hands brush marble, feel impelled To touch where crisp cold tesserae Compose a fine array Of…
Books and arts
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