Tolkien
Grimdull
The fantasy genre is afflicted by a dull and tedious obsession with adolescent cynicism, prurient scenes and one dimensional anti-heroes
Between Middle Earth and the West
130 years from his birth, what can we learn from Tolkien?
Lightweight Kate Winslet
Our most versatile of English roses must accept that one role is beyond even her
The decline of industry
English towns faced unique new challenges following deindustrialisation
A house divided
American partisan divisions are the result of social atomisation
Hi-energy nutrients
Schoenfield, Vivier, Bartok &c (Accentus Music)
Church visits and garden walks
From sumptuous architecture to delightful landscaping
BBC Verify’s Bangladesh blunder
In trying to combat misinformation, the BBC has spread its own
Murders for September
British detectives go abroad, as this month’s chillers take us from a fictional Spanish island to the Far East
Reading Winston Churchill
Half a century on, we’re still learning more about Britain’s most famous Prime Minister
The uneasy aftermath of the Austrian elections
Will the Austrian establishment close ranks against the Freedom Party?
Hatred without end
A year on from October 7th, mutual dehumanisation and refusal of moral responsibility characterises our “debate” over the Gaza war
It’s the economy, stupid
The US election was another reminder of people’s biggest political priority
