Zadie Smith
The myth of infallibility
Dispiriting as it may be, great authors are capable of writing bad books
Decline of the English novel
Bereft of God and middle class values, authors are left with identity politics
Piano in wartime
War poems (Somm)
The student politics of Clive Lewis
All he sees are good guys and bad guys
Folly, fantasy and Britain’s defence crisis
Britain has spent scarce resources in support of the fantasy of “Global Britain”
Over the line
No one should discipline children for asking honest questions or telling the truth
Death by a thousand cuts
The near-invisibility of the Proms on BBC TV is a symptom of the collapse of public service broadcasting in Britain
More than just noise
Berg, Schoenberg, Webern: Piano works (Warner)
Public sector pay
Bumper pay rises for doctors and teachers are bound to result in higher inflation
Hatred without end
A year on from October 7th, mutual dehumanisation and refusal of moral responsibility characterises our “debate” over the Gaza war
The great British giveaway
The handover of the Chagos Islands reflects a wider lack of realism in UK foreign policy
Eerie decadence
“Blink Twice” accelerates from black comedy to dark drama
Forces of nature
Antonin Dvorak: Symphonies (Warner/Pentatone)
