Books
Too much gush
The cover of Edna O’Brien’s 17th novel sports a handsome quote from Philip Roth: ‘The great Edna O’Brien has written…
Celebrity lives
I learned from this little lot that if one has read The Diary of a Nobody, then one can derive…
Books and arts opener
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The best British short stories — from Daniel Defoe to Zadie Smith
In this handsome two-volume anthology, Philip Hensher convincingly establishes himself as a world authority on the short story, says Ian Sansom
From the Big Smoke to the Big Choke
‘A foggy day in London town,’ croons Fred Astaire in the 1937 musical comedy A Damsel in Distress, puffing nonchalantly…
Where would America be without Gloria Steinem?, asks Carmen Callil
This is a book written by a most admirable woman, which is nevertheless — with some rare and excellent exceptions…
Umberto Eco really tries our patience
Colonna, the protagonist of Umberto Eco’s latest novel, is the first to admit he is a loser. A middle-aged literary…
Designing the swimming car, the Doodlebug and the Panzer tank was all in a day’s work for Ferdinand Porsche
The aggressive character of the famous German sports car, in a sort of sympathetic magic, often transfers itself to owner-drivers.…
When escape to the sun — or even to Devon — goes horribly wrong
A character in Sophie Hannah’s A Game for All the Family (Hodder, £14.99, pp. 432) presents a theory: ‘Mysteries are…
Warning: this book only contains strong language
Dan Marshall, the author of this memoir, loves to swear. ‘It’s very difficult for me to write a sentence without…
A chronic case of mass hysteria
There have been many books devoted to the terrible events that took place in the small rural community of Salem…
Frank’s world
‘He never went away. All those other things that we thought were here to stay, they did go away. But…
To the ends of the earth
What’s in a name? The identity of the author offers a clue to one of the themes of this intriguing…
Discover your inner nerd
There’s a curious thing about the bowling green in my Suffolk village. The footpath running alongside it is on a…
Through the eyes of spies
Spying is a branch of philosophy, although you would never guess it from that expression on Daniel Craig’s face. Its…
Porridge Season
Tuesday morning. The Chopin of golden syrup is going to perform his Breakfast Fantaisie for teaspoon and dessertspoon. Such a…
The Wolves of Memory
Loping through thick snow, fur matted with ice, they have lost the trace that led them long ago from a…
Unsung hero
Between the defeat of the government of Digby Denham in 1915 and the election of Campbell Newman in 2012, Queensland…
Porridge Season
Tuesday morning. The Chopin of golden syrup is going to perform his Breakfast Fantaisie for teaspoon and dessertspoon. Such a…
The Wolves of Memory
Loping through thick snow, fur matted with ice, they have lost the trace that led them long ago from a…
Porridge Season
Tuesday morning. The Chopin of golden syrup is going to perform his Breakfast Fantaisie for teaspoon and dessertspoon. Such a…
The Wolves of Memory
Loping through thick snow, fur matted with ice, they have lost the trace that led them long ago from a…
In Other Eyes
Someone to trust with parcels, because he’s ‘always in’; the character who locks the gate at night and lingers to…
In Other Eyes
Someone to trust with parcels, because he’s ‘always in’; the character who locks the gate at night and lingers to…
Through the Looking Glass
John le Carré has been writing about a mirror world for over 50 years — and he’ll continue to do so for as long as his father haunts him, says Andrew Lycett
