Mathew Lyons
Mathew Lyons is a writer and historian. He tweets at @MathewJLyons
The medieval shock of the new
Changes in the early modern period forced people to look at themselves anew
A window into the medieval mind
Heaven on Earth captures the extraordinary efflorescence of Gothic architecture in Europe
A prayer for the Holocaust dead
Extra-judicial killing and its long aftermath forms the core of Linda Kinstler’s remarkable new book
Anatomy of a populist cynic
As Spain’s national-conservatives get outflanked by “Alvise”, Europe’s “new right” would do well to watch the fringes, too
Merchants of the Venice Biennale
For all its pretentiousness, the Venice Biennale still hints towards higher truths
In defence of emotional voting
We cannot expect voters to think in cold rational terms
A bad man writes a worse book
Alastair Campbell’s new book is beneath the level of the bargain bin
The triumph of the Classical
Modernism has failed and it is time to return to diligent study of the best of traditional architecture
Fruitful discussion
Hannah’s Children is a sharp retort to assumptions about barefoot, bread-baking women harassed by scores of children and domineering husbands
The subsidy squeeze
Schemes such as HS2 cost billions of pounds while reducing UK productivity
Medical science is oppressive
Illness and wellness are mere taxonomies of power
Being economical with the truth
The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism (& How It Came to Control Your Life). By George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison
The Venice Art Biennale
The overall tone is rather bloodless, smug and muted where one might hope for exhilaration