Issue: June 2022
Unearthly study of life and death
Yukio Mishima concealed his poignant political commentary in a run-of-the-mill science fiction novel
A bird-lover’s lament
Patrick Galbraith’s debut offers a quirkily enjoyable journey through a netherworldly Britain
Good and evil on the new frontier
Our current ethical guidelines are hopelessly inadequate for a new era of unimaginable technological change
Another country
The tales that show how rural life has changed
Laughter is a fascist hate crime
Dave Chappelle had it coming
Why we need a new movement
The timid world of BritLit needs to be shaken up by a mutinous new clique of writers
A real world of consciousness
Communism in Poland was brought down by an underground network of learning, journalism and culture that flourished in defiance of state control
Ubiquitous, but bloody good
Time and global success hasn’t dimmed the appeal of dinner at Nobu
Raw and immersive tale of the Civil War
The siege of Basing House encompasses all of England in microcosm
Reinvention and rediscoveries
An actress turned author, a Kafkaesque fantasy and a 1960s re-release stir the imagination
Most Read
American strategy in Iran is wiser than it seems
President Trump’s intervention will leave the world safer than it was
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 lonely death of Henry Nowak
We must draw lessons from a horrendous and disgraceful case
Rewatching the English
English identity has become too surreal and discomfiting to define
A failed war on fags
The black market has taken over the tobacco trade Down Under
Tedious transgression
The mainstreaming of porn is dangerous, hypocritical and very, very boring
Two cafes, both alike …
Our correspondent investigates the north London front of the Israel-Palestine conflict
Hope and stories
Bicinia (Claves)
How the “Burnham bind” will rewrite British politics
If Andy Burnham wins in Makerfield, Labour has a bigger opportunity than people think
Profile: Allan Massie
The recently deceased Scots journalist and author
Reclaiming the rule of law
The rule of law was meant to protect liberty — not to be weaponised against democracy
Remembering 2020
It is important to remember what an irrational and hostile time it was
Averting irrational egalitarianism
How to stop ideological anti-racism damaging our institutions and our country
What makes an American?
What characterises a US citizen in the 21st century, beyond abiding by the country’s laws and supporting its constitution?
Food pairing is folly
A warning against trying to match wine to dish
How to build a Europe of the peripheries
Resetting Britain’s relations with the EU should not mean being beholden to France and Germany