Low life
Foolishly I chose new specs in the village optician’s after a long lunch: a rather outré design that I might…
High life
New York I’ve never met anyone called Othello, certainly not in Venice nor in Cyprus, but perhaps there are men…
Real life
The street lamp as bright as the Dog Star is back to its full glare outside my house. I won…
Israel’s heady Heights
‘Where is this from?’ my friend asked, handing me a wine glass. It was a Cabernet Sauvignon, high in alcohol,…
Asylum isn’t working
Emad Al Swealmeen, who blew himself up in a taxi outside the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, is not believed to have…
Dear Mary: Your problems solved
Q. We have recently installed security cameras in our remote holiday house in the south of France and I was…
The day I became a prize contrarian
Something rather unusual happened to me a few weeks ago: I was shortlisted for a prize. Not the GQ Men…
A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog could also be called The Power of Benedict Cumberbatch, as he’s so spectacular.…
Soul searching
No musician ever went bust overestimating the public desire to hear classic soul. Slapping on a Motown backbeat has revived…
From nomads to emperors
This is the best of times to be writing history, since so much of what has been taken for granted,…
Words and deeds
Greta Thunberg and her supporters were loud in protest at COP26, but one wonders to what end. They demanded deeds,…
Mawkish melodrama
Rose Tremain’s 15th novel begins with a favoured schmaltzy image of high Victoriana: it is a night (if not dark…
Barometer
Shell out Royal Dutch Shell announced that it is to move its HQ to London and become a fully British…
Bridge
The Champion’s Cup is an annual competition for the national champions from 12 European countries. As my team won the…
Mullets
The mullet is back in fashion, which is proof that true evil never dies. What’s more, the trend is being…
Puzzle No. 680
White to play and win. The conclusion of an endgame study by Henri Rinck. The imminent promotion of the g-pawn…
The root of the matter
Thanks to Covid, the days are gone — or at least suspended — when a TV travel programme meant a…
Letters
Balance of power Sir: Ross Clark sums up the problem with wind power (‘Storing up trouble’, 13 November). It is…
Portrait of the week
Home The UK terror threat level was raised to severe after a taxi exploded and burst into flames just before…
Diary
This week, I’m having puppies! First litter! The Johnsons were not doggy as we always moved around too much (my…
In a class of its own
Mike Leigh’s classic, Abigail’s Party, has been revived under the direction of Vivienne Garnett. The script is a guilty secret…
Books of the year II
A further selection of the books enjoyed by some of our regular reviewers in 2021
