Book Review
In defence of knowledge
Richard Ovenden’s new book is a passionate defence of the sanctity of knowledge expressed through literature
Dinner at Brasenose? Unmasking the Secret Barrister
The Secret Barrister’s new book tears apart fake news and the notion of compensation culture
Et tu? The grim fate of the usual suspects
Peter Stothard’s depiction of the demise of Caesar emphasises the humanity of the emperor’s killer
Is Saul Bellow Martin Amis’s true father?
Reviews of Martin Amis’s new book prove that the best questions are the ones that no one asks
The unlikely miracle of Trump’s presidency
Trump’s inability to articulate any substantive thought renders a respected journalist’s new book unreadable
No prefix required: how gay writers came of age
Douglas Murray refuses to mourn the death of the gay novel — a genre that was once ghettoised has joined the mainstream
Shakespearean lore and order
A new anthology displays Shakespeare’s engagement with the sonnet form across his career, but at a high cost
Farewell to Utopia
An erudite call to return to a more sceptical and prudential kind of politics
Big Brother versus liberty
Firmin DeBrabander’s philosophical musings are the checklist of a left-wing, “progressive” academic
The making of Donald Trump
In his new book, Gerald Seib asks whether the turn towards nationalism and populism in the US is permanent
Most Read
The establishment is still living in an immigration fantasy land
It is influential left-wingers, not the broader public, who have deluded themselves on mass migration
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.
On Britain as a capitalist command economy
It is neither neoliberal nor socialist but a secret third thing
Rewatching the English
English identity has become too surreal and discomfiting to define
The Blob playbook
How activist charities subtly shape policy
The costs of independence
Northern Ireland offers sobering lessons on the consequences of devolutionary radicalism
Critical briefing: Tisza
What you need to know about the new Hungarian establishment
The Muslim modernisers
Muslim reformers do not innovate; they renew by seeking to mend what is broken
British foreign policy must serve British interests
It is time to put aside legalistic and moralistic nonsense and focus on what is best for Britain
At a loose end
We are making young adults un-ready for work
Mahmood music
Shabana Mahmood’s asylum reforms are a lot less tough than they sound
We need a loud revival
The dream of a “quiet revival” always misunderstood the problem faced by British Christians
Piano pair strike just the right note
Serendipity has delivered a double bill for the ages this month
Taxing the lights on
Miliband’s new levy undermines the very investment needed to bring energy prices down
Taking the Sheen off
Shiny old lies remain the very bedrock of our trade