Altar, font and arch and pew
Michael Hodges’s colourful guide is a welcome reminder of the sheer scale and number of churches that survived the Blitz
Cold comfort for Gibbons fans
The previously unpublished Pure Juliet will be cold comfort for fans of Gibbons’s famous first novel
The painter as poser
Even Nick Foulkes’s eloquent pleading can’t turn this shallow master of self-promotion into Picasso’s rival — as he saw himself
Staying put
If Calvin Trillin’s middle-aged Manhattanite, obsessed with his parking space, appeals to British readers, that would be a story in itself
Carrots — and no stick
Rose Prince wishes she’d benefited from Bee Wilson’s advice when trying to get her own children to eat their greens
The Lost Word
I know it cold, the scene in the woods, the grey-toned sky, and snow— the sudden clearing in the underbrush…
Away with the angels?
But as this new exhibition at the Royal College of Physicians shows, he was much more than just a loony witch
Boulez est mort
Boulez est mort. The composer-conductor will be remembered above all as a propagandist, a breed for whom long life is not predicted
Disciple of Duchamp
But the equally cutting-edge show at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery from New Zealander Simon Denny seems hamstrung by its medium
In two minds
Simon Rattle’s conducting was immaculate, Peter Sellars’s directing wasn’t as irritating as feared and what a cast!
Starman
By withdrawing from the public gaze, Bowie ensured that his legacy would be his extraordinary records
Endurance test
Whether you enjoy this film will essentially depend on how strong your stomach is and how much you’re into watching Leonardo DiCaprio grunting for two-and-a-half hours
Gallows humour
Plus: a play at the Arcola that accepts the bizarre notion that every setback suffered by asylum-seekers is an indelible stain on Britain’s moral integrity
Off the page
Plus: while it’s good to see Carlos Acosta looking sexy and charismatic again, Royal Ballet’s Elizabeth needs help from Bridget Jones on their portrayal of a woman in love
Chance encounters
Plus: two great moments on Desert Island Discs and the resurrection of an early masterclass from Tom Stoppard
Compliance order
Derren Brown closed the programme by telling us not to do what other people tell us - except, presumably when it’s him telling us not to do what other people tell us
High life
Tolstoy wrote about all happy ones being alike, but what would he have said about the ugly ones?
Real life
A road resurfacer will trump a middle-class woman every time (unless she is a lesbian adopter)
Wild life
It made me aware of our fragility and need for each other’s protection — and our helplessness
Bridge
Forgive me for the outdated, clichéd expression but …GIRL POWER! The surprise winners of last weekend’s TGRs auction pairs were…
Paul stories
An excellent recent article by Dominic Lawson in Standpoint magazine reminded me of the greatness of Paul Keres. The Estonian…
No. 391
White to play. This is from Fischer-Benko, US Championship, New York 1963. The obvious 1 e5 is successfully parried by 1…
Macaronic
In Competition No. 2930 you were invited to submit up to 16 lines of macaronic verse. A dictionary of poetic…
