Books
Gloriously bad company
Do we really need another biography about Francis Bacon? The answer is emphatically yes, says Christopher Bray
Wilde encounters
The rambling and discursive nature of the writing lends Rupert Everett’s book an enjoyable appeal
How the pandemic has exacerbated our struggle for dignity
David Goodhart’s recent book is a reminder that we need to look out for those whose lives, jobs and purpose are disappearing
Two cheers for the LRB
The magazine that declares its main aim is to review books does anything but
You talkin’ to me? Fuhgeddaboudit!
E. J. White’s book on the history of New York English is not the first on the subject, but it goes a long way in explaining the evolution of the city’s unique linguistics
Monuments to self-expression
Serenhedd James finds folly and ruin frequently go together in Rory Fraser’s new release: Follies
Bohemia, SW3
Barry Turner delves into an illuminating and entertaining insight into Bohemian life in the fast lane
Cheques and balances
John Self says that while writing has always been seen as a vocation, the characters many authors care most about are the ones printed on their royalty statements
A bank, not a study group
Christopher Fildes delves into the latest instalment of the Bank’s long and voluminous history
The idealisation of everyday life
Natascha Engel delves into Marc Stears’s new book, and asks: is there anything in here that will help us rebuild the Red Wall without losing our big city majorities?