Books
The root of the problem
The novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo is attracted by the freedom a New York job promises, but misses the young daughter she has left behind in London
Evil geniuses
Does knowledge of the wrongs committed by Caravaggio, Picasso, Roman Polanski and other ‘monsters’ condition our response to their art, wonders Claire Dederer
A purring cat is not always contented
In his vast survey of felines wild and domestic, Jonathan Losos reveals, among much else, that a cat’s purr can convey hunger or panic as well as pleasure
Literary charades
Blending fact and fiction, France combines a tale of antics on a creative writing course with episodes from her family life
Was it murder?
In a beautifully told novel, O’Callaghan focuses on the mysterious death of the footballer Matthias Sindelar in 1939 – possibly as a result of defying Hitler
From she-devil to heroine – Winnie Mandela’s surprising metamorphosis
Jonny Steinberg describes Nelson and Winnie’s doomed marriage, and how their posthumous reputations have undergone a startling reversal
Andrew Motion pays tribute to his poetic mentors
In a second memoir, Motion focuses on how he became a poet, and his search for father figures, including W.H. Auden and Philip Larkin
Why are we so squeamish about describing women’s everyday experiences?
Philip Hensher discusses how words relating to women’s ordinary experiences have been shrouded in euphemism over the centuries
An eye for the absurd
Come for the satire, stay for the one-liners, and take succour from the hope Walter finds in a world where everyone needs an angel from time to time
Pie in the sky
Frieda Hughes adopts an unfledged orphan bird, regarding him as ‘a magical creature’ – but few others find him so engaging
Britain’s churches need us to survive – but do we still need them?
Attendance is in serious decline, but our churches have much to offer, especially in times of crisis, and we neglect their crumbling fabric at our peril
Friendships and rivalries in the golden age of Oxford philosophy
Nikhil Krishnan provides many amusing vignettes of Isaiah Berlin, A.J. Ayer, Gilbert Ryle and others in the heyday of linguistic philosophy
The view from on high
Sixteen-year-old Kit floats free from her body at night and circles invisibly over family and friends – not always liking what she sees
Communing with an ancestor
Ian Marchant, diagnosed with cancer in 2020, takes comfort from his ancestor’s diary (1714-28), recording a full life as farmer and mainstay of his parish
Caught in a web of lies: The Guest, by Emma Cline, reviewed
Moving among the rich of Long Island, an upmarket prostitute grows increasingly desperate as her many misdemeanours are exposed
Triumph and disaster in the War of Jenkins’ Ear
David Grann returns to the greatest sea story ever told: of Captain Anson’s piratical feat, and ‘the mutiny that never was’ aboard the Wager
A born rebel: Lady Caroline Lamb scandalises society
Antonia Fraser describes an intelligent, independent woman, whose penchant for cross-dressing reflected her yearning for the freedom only men enjoyed
Jim Ede and the glories of Kettle’s Yard
Honor Clerk celebrates Jim Ede and his matchless collection at Kettle’s Yard
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
Daniel Chandler aims to bring new values to British politics – so how will that work out?
Daniel Chandler claims to be a bringer of values, to fill the vacuum at the heart of British politics. Noel Malcolm is unconvinced
A chilling childhood
Growing up in New England, in a town simmering with menace, Ruthie suffers the agonies of parental neglect
