More from Books
The language of love: Greek Lessons, by Han Kang, reviewed
Lessons in ancient Greek for a young Korean poet who has lost her power of speech develop into a touching relationship with her half-blind teacher
Into the woods of 19th-century America
The pressing need for timber in the 1830s led to tree-felling on vast scale – and the displacement of countless Native Americans as a result
Milan Kundera feels the unbearable weight of disappointment
In two essays, from 1967 and 1983, he expresses the sense of abandonment felt in Central Europe – and his own dismay at the superficiality of western culture
Adolescent angst
A violent adolescent breaks out of his ‘Last Chance’ reform home at dead of night – but can he ever escape his inner turmoil?
The sadness of Britain’s seaside resorts
Their decline began with the arrival of package holidays in the 1960s – and new schemes for their revival seem already to have backfired
A chilling childhood
Growing up in New England, in a town simmering with menace, Ruthie suffers the agonies of parental neglect
Anorexia has a long history – but are we any closer to understanding it?
Aged 14, Hadley Freeman succumbed to it, and was offered many conflicting explanations. She herself finally attributes it to a fear of approaching womanhood
If the Nazis had occupied Britain, how many of us would have collaborated?
Ian Buruma describes three individuals who saved themselves in wartime by betraying others. But none was a ‘typical traitor’, or essentially different from the rest of us
Adieu to Indochina
Vuillard’s powerful novel analyses the French army’s humiliation in 1954 at the siege of Dien Bien Phu, and the motivations of the principal players
The bad boy of German cinema who ‘wanted to be Marilyn Monroe’
Rainer Werner Fassbinder made 43 highly original films, and was planning another when he died – at the same age, and in the same way, as his idol
A naturally conservative country
Their winning formula has been to present themselves as the party of patriotism and economic competence, while stealing the opposition’s clothes whenever it suited them
A passion for moths – and the thrill of the chase
Katty Baird braves the cliffs and wind-blasted moors of East Lothian to identify as many species of these maligned insects as possible
The intricate stories timepieces tell
The horologist Rebecca Struthers takes us on a journey through time-measurement, from a 44,000-year-old bone carving to the modern Rolex
The getting of wisdom
Inherited knowledge saved the indigenous Andaman islanders from the 2004 tsunami. But how will fast-changing data affect our judgment?
The complex genius of Mel Brooks
Jeremy Dauber highlights the tension within Brooks of warring Jewish archetypes, personified by Max and Leo in the masterpiece The Producers
Box of tricks
A novel full of surprises weaves together stories of disparate characters – all mysteriously connected to the elderly novelist Dora Frenhofer
Lovable eccentrics
On the anniversary of Hendrix’s death, ageing hippies gather in Lviv to perform a bizarre ritual by a grave marked with his name
Could the bombing of Sir Galahad have been prevented?
Aided by documents in the National Archives, Crispin Black challenges the view that the Welsh Guards were to blame for the Bluff Cove disaster
Descent into hell
When Michael Laudor’s schizophrenia spiralled out of control in 1998, it made headline news in America. Jonathan Rosen remembers earlier, happier days with his friend
Pillow talk in Berlin
Heydrich had microphones installed throughout Madam Kitty’s salon in the hope of obtaining ‘useful’ information from visiting diplomats and political rivals
Tales of the unexpected
Eight eclectic fables draw on magic realism, science fiction, fairy tales, the Gothic, religion, brutal realism and horror movies
Reading the rocks
Louise Erdrich explores her Ojibwe heritage, learning to read ancient painted signs on rocks and making ritual offerings to the spirits
How Britain prepared for Armageddon from the 1950s onwards
The official policy in the event of nuclear war veered from fatuous evacuation plans to a directive to stockpile food, stay home and hope for the best
The GDR was not the Stasiland of grey monotony we imagine
Katja Hoyer evokes the tears and anger – but also the laughter and pride, as citizens raised their children, went on holidays and joked about their politicians
The lady vanishes: Collected Works, by Lydia Sandgren, reviewed
When Cecilia disappears, her husband and children are left haunted by the mystery – until a character in a German novel strikes the daughter as strangely familiar
