Back to the camps
Confronted by this lavishly endorsed book — ‘compelling’ (David Lodge), ‘gripping’(John le Carré),‘thrilling’ (Jonathan Freedland) — I felt depressed. Two…
A unique capacity for personal egotism
It is peculiarly apt that the author of this autobiography should be the man who coined that now fashionable term…
Poker
To Dad You wonder if it’s worth the gamble getting up out of your armchair onto your bad leg, to…
Belgian fancy
In 1958 a vast international trade fair was held just outside Brussels. As well as being a showcase for industry,…
Northern rocks
William Cook is inspired by England’s sculptural heartland in Yorkshire, just as Moore and Hepworth were
Gut feelings
Like all artists of independent spirit, David Tress (born 1955) resists categorisation. He has been called a Romantic and a…
Freudian slip
Terry Johnson’s acclaimed farce Hysteria opens in Sigmund Freud’s Hampstead home in 1938. The godfather of psychobabble is ambushed by…
Look on the bright side
Ah yes, Candide, the adventures of an innocent abroad in ‘the best of all possible worlds’, as philosophers of the…
Beyond redemption
It’s a cynical start to the Royal Opera’s season to have this 1984 production of Puccini’s last opera Turandot. Not…
Platitude in pearls
Someone who knows their Dianaology will have to fill me in – did this actually happen? The late Princess Di…
Gangs busted
You wait a whole lifetime for a lavishly shot, starrily cast, mega-budget gangster drama set in Birmingham to come along.…
The pity of war
Of all folk memories the Blitz remains one of the most enduring. In the autumn of 1940 the Luftwaffe strafed…
High life
Gstaad Why are hacks scared to state the obvious? In Britain the excuse is the strict libel laws. But in…
Low life
‘Jeremy! Jeremy! I can’t believe it! There’s no bloody booze!’ I’d walked into the music room where Elgar and Fauré…
Real life
The Builder Boyfriend has nearly moved in. I say nearly because we are both quite nervous about committing to each…
Long life
My village, Stoke Bruerne in south Northamptonshire, is just getting back to normal after a great influx of visitors for…
Wild life
It was towards dusk by the time we had given the tourist police the slip and started climbing the pyramid…
Bridge
If you are allergic to wasp stings, may I give you a word of advice? Keep away from them! Don’t…
World Cup
The recently concluded Fide (World Chess Federation) World Cup held at Tromso in Norway resulted in a triumph for Vladimir…
puzzle no. 284
Black to play. This position is from Riazantsev-Felgaer, Tromso 2013. Black’s forces have invaded the white kingside. Can you spot…
Our self-help winner: “Psychopaths of Glory — Unlocking the Bastard Within”
In Competition 2815 you were invited to contribute to the booming genre of self-help by proposing a new title guaranteed…
2131: Present
16/17 (four words in total) is a work by 11 which suggests the remaining unclued lights. Five clues contain a…
Solution to 2128: carbon copy
The puzzle marked a DOUBLE TON (42/27) by DUMPYNOSE (11) in THE SPECTATOR (17/19). Remaining unclued lights suggest a DOUBLETON:…
Why I want my schools to ban the burka (and the miniskirt)
For most people, the question of whether to ban the burka is a purely theoretical one. Not for me. As…
