The myth of infallibility
Dispiriting as it may be, great authors are capable of writing bad books
Bring back the panjandrums
We need heavyweights to separate good from bad
Santa’s unspeakable sack
Why are publishers so sniffy about stocking fillers?
Scheherazade scoops the pot
Women now dominate the literary landscape
In search of the right stuff
Why are there so few conservatively-minded novelists?
Independent minds
Small local publishers are putting out the brightest and best new work
All shall have prizes
There are now so many awards that not winning one must seem a source of shame
Beyond unthrilled by all the hype
When a new major title by a big cheese arrives, expect a tidal wave of rolled logs
Two cheers for the LRB
The magazine that declares its main aim is to review books does anything but
Six ways to make things better
Bringing back the Net Book Agreement would be a good start for badly-paid authors
Should we feel pity for the Pelicot accused?
To have endured pain does not excuse inflicting pain
Bernard-Henri Lévy
France’s celebrity philosopher, war reporter and professional pessimist
Church visits and garden walks
From sumptuous architecture to delightful landscaping
The EU is leaving Britain behind on immigration
The continent is waking up to the need for solutions, and Britain must wake up as well
The Democratic Party deserves Donald Trump
Its arrogance and complacency have been exposed
One of the greats
Bathos, fatalism, heartbreak: these are the pillars of a MacColl song
Fleeing Sally Rooney’s god
Why have critics been ignoring one of the novelist’s most important themes?
Graduation blues
On the sad decline of the British university
Izzy Hardcastle
Ornament of the book-world
The same old song
A reboot of nineties favourite Le Caprice is more museum than restaurant
Rising above the mob
Questioning is kryptonite to the genderist cause
