Books

Decadence in the time of corona: A conversation with Ross Douthat

The New York Times columnist updates his arguments for a country rocked by pandemic and protest

Grasping for the divine

The church has lost its way but our need for lasting purpose remains

The fascinating objects of fascism

Roger Moorhouse shows it’s possible to treat modern history properly and in context

Men and women and men

John Self reviews Sorry for Your Trouble by Richard Ford, This is Pleasure by Mary Gaitskill and Cleanness by Garth Greenwell

More plausible than real life

John Preston reviews Beneath the Streets by Adam Macqueen

A path open to us all

Daniel Johnson reviews Wagner’s Parsifal, by Roger Scruton

The flaws of liberalism

On a range of issues liberal politicians pursued policies opposed by voters

Invitation to a joyless party

Lisa Hilton reviews Very Important People, by Ashley Mears

The jokes must go on

Christopher Bray reviews Apropos of Nothing by Woody Allen

Me, Myself and I

The hip young authors who write about their greatest obsession – themselves