Anthony Burgess’s Napoleon complex
In Napoleon Symphony, the life of the French statesman was transformed into a virtuoso romp that still dazzles 50 years on.
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John Banville
John Banville is a novelist. His most recent book is The Lock-Up (Faber & Faber).
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The mysteries of late style
Christopher Neve’s study of great painters reveals the risks and rewards of creating art at the end of life.
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The poet of ordinary days: William Trevor’s quiet artistry
Trevor was the literary heir of Chekhov, Maupassant and James Joyce: and one of the great contemporary chroniclers of…
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Why Sophocles would have applauded Bloodline
The recurring trope of almost every cable television series these days is extreme violence, frequently involving the capture, rape…
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Portrait of the artist as a young fan: Echo’s Bones by Samuel Beckett
A previously unpublished novella shows the playwright struggling to escape the influence of Joyce.
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Céline: Master of misanthropy
"Journey to the End of the Night" is the finest novel ever written by a far rightist.
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