Books
Writing outside the box
Elena Ferrante’s essay collection is an exploration of the delights and constraints of form
A trip to Heaney country
The fiftieth anniversary of Seamus Heaney’s Wintering Out is a chance to recognise the importance of place to his poetry
Smashed stereotypes or revisionist reveries?
Why judge prohibitionists by their words when we can judge them by their actions?
The unheard lessons of howling feedback
Separating the signal from the noise
A return, a reissue, a brilliant new voice
The best, and the not-so-great, new fiction to read this month
Searching in vain for Hitler’s lethal edict
These two new histories of the holocaust add little to what is already known
What’s behind that enigmatic smile?
The author of a new novel about the Mona Lisa explores the history of the world’s most famous painting
Golden boy turned starstruck rube
The self-justifying self-portrait of a journalist who never made it
On and off the road
Jack Kerouac’s reputation should rest on his whole oeuvre — not just his most famous novel
How to be a literary editor
Done well, book reviews have never been more important
Most Read
Labour’s mercurial kingmaker
The eventful career of Josh Simons, the man who gave up his seat for Andy Burnham
In defence of Lara Bird
There is nothing weird or dishonest about having a dual existence
The hitch with the Hitch
How Christopher Hitchens brought me back to Christ
The ties that bind
A revived society tie has raised thousands for hedgehogs — and reminds us what Britain has lost with the decline of the club tie
Against Northernism
“Northernism” is a superficial form of cultural branding, not a serious political project
A Laboured response
Keir Starmer and his advocates are all out of ideas
The dark side of the White House
As in ancient Rome, power politics are always a promising arena for drama
The martyrdom of Young Bob
On ebbing power of the political influencer
In praise of Canary Wharf
Once dismissed as a sterile outpost, Canary Wharf has become one of Britain’s greatest urban success stories
Saint Nicola
Nicola Sturgeon wants sympathy for her husband’s crimes—but after years spent avoiding awkward questions, her latest reinvention may be the hardest sell yet.
The miracle of the magical migrants
Is a man’s identity is fluid when he steps on British soil, but calcified on African soil?
Bypassing the parasites
Too often, lawyers add little to business transactions except delays and questionable costs
Sport’s regime changes
Canadian snooker has gone the way of Hungarian table tennis
The man who knew too little
Faced with Mandelson, Starmer offers a bold defence: he didn’t know, and that’s what makes him blameless
The ballad of Robbie and Harry
Sometimes, the struggle can become the art
Jolly boating weather
The Gondoliers, English Touring Opera, Hackney Empire