Is Sarah Mullally really a fresh start for the Church of England?
Between 1999 and 2004, Sarah Mullally, the current Bishop of London, was director of patient experience for NHS England. One…
The joyless reading app being forced on my son
It was only recently that I fully appreciated how the books I read as a child formed me. A pregnant…
The tragedy of Keir Starmer
For someone who likes to present the general public with the idea that he doesn’t have a personality, Sir Keir…
The politics of long hair
What is the literal cut-off point for women having very long hair (and by ‘long’ I mean where it almost…
Letters: The real reason Gen Z aren’t having sex
No EU turn Sir: Before Dr Brian Mathew’s letter on ‘How to restore prosperity’ appeared (10 January), the FT printed…
Trump’s attack on the Fed is a pivotal moment of hubris
The phrase ‘trumped-up charges’ dates from the 18th century, I learn, and derives from the Old French tromper, to deceive.…
Oh, Mary!’s climax is an inspirational bit of comedy
High Noon, directed by Thea Sharrock, is a perfectly decent version of a trusty western which celebrates its 74th birthday…
Zach Bryan is no Springsteen
There would, on the surface, appear to be little common ground between the wife of stuffy old Malcolm Muggeridge and…
The rise and fall of the football presenter
What does it mean to be a ‘good’ sports presenter? Really, it should mean nothing. They aren’t important. They should…
Why has it all gone wrong for The Night Manager?
The Night Manager is finally back after ten years with three major drawbacks: no Elizabeth Debicki for the sex scenes;…
Brendan Fraser is the king of the everyman: Rental Family reviewed
Rental Family stars Brendan Fraser as an out-of-work American actor living in Tokyo. He accepts employment with an agency that…
This Royal Opera Traviata is no ordinary revival
First opera of the year, first night back in London, and the jolly old metrop was already springing surprises. A…
Does Tate’s director care about art?
I met the Tate’s outgoing director Maria Balshaw only once, back when she was in Manchester running both the Whitworth…
The art of the transatlantic liner
Some time in the next few weeks, a great ocean liner will be lost at sea. One of the greatest,…
The serious business of games: Seven, by Joanna Kavenna, reviewed
A young philosopher goes in search of the curator of the Society of Lost Things and the once world-famous game of Seven whose rules no one seems to know
A young Englishwoman is caught up in the Russian Revolution
Rhoda Power’s first-hand account of the Tsar’s abdication and the coming of the Bolsheviks was first published in 1919 and has never really been surpassed
Bookshop blues: Service, by John Tottenham, reviewed
An aspiring novelist working the evening shift in an LA bookstore is forced to listen to endless chat about works he knows in his heart to be terrible – or, worse, fears might be good
The madness of Prince Rogers Nelson
The pop star’s extensive entourage were expected to be on call 24/7, responding to his every whim while turning a blind eye to the French farce of his love life
From riches to rags: The Effingers, by Gabriele Tergit, reviewed
Beginning in 1878, this family saga charts the success of two Jewish brothers in Berlin before the coming of the Nazis threatens not only their livelihoods but their lives
What is it about Bob Dylan that sends writers mad?
Though a witness to many seminal Dylan moments, Ron Rosenbaum has produced what feels like a long voice-note after the pub, full of bluster, conspiracy and giddy conjecture
Does running 42 Lakeland fells in less than 24 hours really bring ‘serenity’?
The Keswick hotelier Bob Graham achieved this in 1932 – and nowadays running improbable distances is considered almost normal, as well as an important factor in mental wellbeing
