Culture
Ivy Leagues ahead
Hannah Betts goes preppy in penny loafers and Ralph Lauren
Utilitarians at the gate
Government and the purpose of higher education
Training nature
Hephzibah Anderson reveals how RHS Bridgewater illustrates some of the tensions inherent in our newfound appreciation of what remains a highly curated kind of nature
“We did everything we could”
This book offers an insider’s account of the extraordinary (in)decision-making among Johnson’s team during the most tumultuous year in modern history
The problem with adapting classic novels
Following the letdown of the new adaptation of The Pursuit of Love, Alexander Larman says that TV dramatisations of classic novels haven’t always been this bad
Faustian bargains of the review world
Jeremy Black delves into a history book which disappoints and a biography not to be missed
Resch/Beethoven: String quartets (Genuin)
The Frankfurt-based Aris Quartet play Beethoven with sweeping flair and something close to insouciance
The enduring appeal of the Mitford family
As the BBC’s adaptation of The Pursuit of Love begins, Alexander Larman questions whether the new dramatisation will do justice to Nancy Mitford’s 1945 novel
Truman and Tennessee: an unlikely friendship
Michael Collins maps the relationship between two of the greatest writers of the American south
Crowned heads and brass hats
Professor Jeremy Black talks to Graham Stewart about military monarchs
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
The public health fanatics have a new enemy in their sights
Where is so much gender confusion coming from?
The scope of inquiry into gender and young people should be expanded to schools
Who are universities for?
Research is important — but serving the needs and desires of students matters more
NatCon lives on
The conference has gone ahead in Brussels despite protests and police action
World Budget Day
On World Book Day, Jeremy Hunt tried and failed to dress up as Nigel Lawson
The meaning of Navalny’s death
This tragic event illustrates the cruelty and fragility of the Kremlin
The curious case of the “Gaylor” affair
Whatever the framing, the sexuality is the story
The untalented Mx. Ripley
In a story of a fiendishly successful performance, Eliot Sumner proved an extremely unconvincing man
They like her when she’s angry
Kemi Badenoch is the Incredible Hulk of government ministers, roaring her way through the public realm, smashing opponents left and right
Not another one!
How might the run-up to the next general election look?
How the Ukraine delusion may end
Biden might entertain peace to cut his losses and boost his election chances
