The Back Pages

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This England: Astronomical blunder

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain –…

Michael Palin Q&A: “When was I happiest? On stage with Monty Python”

The comedian on HMS Erebus and life as an octogenarian.

A surprise cash infusion has the feel of a religious experience

I am relieved of the incessant, humiliating nag of being broke for the rest of the month.

Why Trump’s Bitcoin boom is a fake

I have no idea what will happen to cryptocurrencies – and neither does anyone else.

Finding gifts for gardeners should be easy

But most of what we want can’t be bought.

Rachel Kushner Q&A: “Don’t ugly yourself in the face of ugliness”

The novelist on the innocence of the 1970s, cherishing life as it is, and Roxy Music.