Books
What Israel can learn from its long history of sectarianism
Amotz Asa-El examines how, since Biblical times, the rigid separation of tribes resulted in frequent civil wars, disastrous conflicts with foreign powers and lengthy periods of exile
A heady cocktail of coquetry and extortion: The Millionaire Waltz, by Anthony Quinn, reviewed
Edie Greenlaw, model, actress and socialite in 1920s London, is drawn into a case of homosexual blackmail after trying to help a friend
The tiny island in the wild North Atlantic that ‘feels like the safest place in the world’
As Tim Ecott observes the breeding seabirds on the loneliest of the Faroe Islands, he experiences a sense of belonging to a secret kingdom
How a young inventor with no printing experience revolutionised the newspaper world
Four centuries after Johannes Gutenberg, another German, Ottmar Mergenthaler, would spark an information revolution with his invention of the Linotype machine
A question of identity: Passage, by Colin Thubron, reviewed
A subtle novella involving a desperate act of betrayal in the Valley of the Kings is also an investigation of who we really are and what will remain of us after death
Do we really want to live in a world where we’re perpetually spied on?
We are now approaching the point where the Stasi dream is achieved globally. But the more surveillance expands, the more ineffective it becomes
What’s in a kiss? A millennium of mixed messages
There’s the medieval kiss of peace, the familial kiss, the kiss of lust, the kiss of life and the infamous mafioso kiss of death – all explored in Katie Barclay’s wide-ranging history
Together and apart: How to Make a Woman, by Marie Darrieussecq, reviewed
Studious, kindly Rose and Solange, a rebellious rule-breaker, have been friends from childhood. But will their bond survive their wildly different hopes and ambitions?
The intrepid volunteers who risk all to preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage
Among the many heroes Charlotte Higgins encounters in Ukraine are those who brave bombardment to retrieve artefacts from museums that would otherwise be lost forever
Shagger, chancer and oath-breaker – Harold Godwinson had a touch of the Viking about him
But for all his faults he emerges from Tom Licence’s biography, like the blazon on his banner at Hastings, ‘an armed warrior woven in pure gold’
Forty years on, the furore over Paul Simon’s Graceland seems almost quaint
The accusations of plagiarism and musical thievery that have dogged the album since its release pale beside OpenAI’s copyright violations
Finding happiness in simple tactile pleasures
In our high-tech, automated world, we should cherish any gratifying sensory experience, however humble or fleeting, says Ian Bogost
A house of secrets: Where Are the Kings, by Donal Ryan, reviewed
When his mother’s suicide and father’s insanity leave young Jack effectively orphaned, other family members take him in. But will he always be haunted by whispers of scandal and ‘bad blood’?
Why we must forgive Immanuel Kant his misogyny and racism
All humans are worthy of respect, he taught – except if they are black, Jewish or female. But his views were grounded in what he regarded as ‘facts’, argues Robert Wicks
An exhilarating chase: The Runner, by Scarlett Thomas, reviewed
Modern capitalism is this philosophical thriller’s dominant theme, with the protagonist on the run from assassins chasing a Bitcoin bounty
What will the successful cities of the future look like?
Gabriella Bennett visits 11 new architectural projects around the world to examine how war, climate change and an ageing population may be influencing urban planners
The monumental failure that was Henry VIII
The much-vaunted Tudor dynasty would only last one further generation, with the royal treasury severely depleted and the nation more divided than ever
Looking for Katrin: Rory MacLean goes in search of his dead wife
In an attempt to find some meaning in his grief, the author explores how different faiths, philosophies or ‘timeless traditions’ embrace the afterlife
Were the French structuralists of the 1960s really as cool as they seemed?
With Althusser murdering his wife and Foucault dallying with prepubescent boys, some of the group seem simply to have abdicated personal responsibility
Journey of discovery: Beginning Middle End, by Valeria Luisella, reviewed
On a road trip to Sicily, a recent divorcee and her daughter make a new start of sorts, but one fringed by darkness both past and present
The Byzantine empire ends in an orgy of rape and slaughter
Massively outnumbered and abandoned by Christian Europe, Constantinople’s inhabitants finally succumbed to the Ottomans after a devastating 53-day siege
All aboard for Paisley: a trip round unloved Britain
Chris Moss sings the praises of many ‘improbable, bypassed’ towns, finding beauty in the unlikeliest places
Into the wild: Country People, by Daniel Mason, reviewed
A Californian family, newly arrived in Vermont, face the harsh realities of the countryside and deeply alarming neighbours
How the multi-billion-dollar wellness industry is putting us at risk
Lacking the safeguards of mainstream medicine, mass-produced vitamin pills and herbal remedies are routinely adulterated, while supplements to gain muscle mass may be laced with steroids
Whimsical defence mechanisms: Sail Away Land, by Ben Pester, reviewed
Facing nightmarish scenarios, Pester’s characters respond with twee, online-inflected stoicism intended to soften an unforgiving world
