Berlioz’s Christmas hit
The composer was not religious but saw his L’enfance du Christ as a deeply human story – and audiences deemed…
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Luca Guadagnino’s Queer: a sexy thwarted romance
Daniel Craig is cast against type in this stylish adaptation of William Burroughs’ novel. Plus: Nightbitch and We Live in…
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Netflix’s Black Doves is as irresistible as it is annoying
This festive spy thriller is farcical and freewheeling –and like a decent cracker it packs a certain bang.
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The women behind Humphrey Bogart
The documentary Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes searches for new insights into the actor’s life in his five closest female…
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Smartphones don’t suck. People do
I have spent more time looking at the hard, cracked face of my iPhone than those of my children.
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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…
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Sven-Göran Eriksson’s struggle
The football manager’s posthumous memoir A Beautiful Game reveals his battle to make England’s golden generation shine.
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The case against George Orwell
As with DH Lawrence, Orwell’s private life has imperilled his reputation. Is there a way back?
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Jerusalem: city of blood and blame
The violent summer of 1929 reveals the deep and tangled roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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Why the novel matters
We read and write fiction because it asks impossible questions, and leads us boldly into the unknown.
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The counter-elite gambled on Trump and won
The energy in politics is with the populist right – and the left doesn’t know how to respond.
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France’s budget turmoil reveals an EU damaged by Brexit
During its membership, the UK exerted a disproportionately strong influence on EU legislation, often in subtle ways.
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Looking back on a year of great drama for the media
There have been high-profile sales, far-right hate and a smattering of BBC scandals.
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The meaning of ecstasy
Simon Critchley’s On Mysticism shows how the language of religious rapture can help us teach us how to live.
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Into the dark wood
My father died long ago. I now understand that he was part of the lost world of the stoical conservative…
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Quitting social media gave me a new creed: only disconnect
Online, intimacy is imagined and mystery non-existent. It’s time to lose our smartphones and find ourselves again.
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How to spot an excellent editor
As with a good coach in sports, a measure of benign ambiguity will always be in the mix.
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The reluctant politician
A year ago, our writer stood for local election – and won by a landslide. But there was a catch:…
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Who can answer the English Question?
Great Britain’s largest constituent is a nation lost within a multinational state.
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The dawn of the anti-woke era
Having rejected the Democrats’ progressivist dogma, the American electorate is undergoing a social and demographic revolution.
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