Book Review
England’s polymath of the piano
Greatness does not always declare itself in torrents of Slavic emotion or Germanic intellectualism
Lifting the mask of a mercurial master
Soden shares the spoils of untrammelled access: vivid evidence of the man not seen
The angst of Eros
Debating porn over the decades
In search of social justice for women
Two incisive and thought-provoking books explore how society deals with infertile women
The bats have left the bell tower
What happened to goths?
A love letter to hard-won wisdom
They paid the bills through the tutorials that trained the next generation
Starving for a good argument
Henry Dimbleby’s new book doesn’t hit the spot
Dark obsessions of the Demon Dog
Love Me Fierce in Danger reads as a book for fans, inured to the World of Ellroy
Bring back plain English
Most literary criticism is don addressing don, in a style designed to exclude ordinary people
Murders for March
A sinister start to the spring
The passage from India
The failings of Bazball, like the failings of Britain, are becoming more apparent
Religious freedom is back on the agenda
The International Freedom of Religion or Belief Bill, currently before parliament, is an important step for securing Britain’s role in promoting religious liberty
Britain is still safe for Jews
It may be far from perfect — but where would be safer?
Who judges the judges?
Judges, whatever their gender, need sufficient judgement to maintain neutrality and political impartiality
How dark can humour be?
Laughter — even laughter about morbid things — is part of what makes us human
Dumbing down the priesthood
Unless the Church reinstates rigorous college-based training for clerics, it will wither away
Miriam Cates is right about surrogacy
It is a fundamentally dishonest and exploitative practice
How widespread is NHS qualifications fraud?
A viral Twitter post raises uncomfortable questions about the level of training in British institutions
The joy of pets
Pet ownership is one of life’s simple pleasures, but it also lifts the soul
Fine art versus luxury goods
The auction houses’ love expensive brands
Less will be better
More students have been worse. Some became dons — they have been worse too
