Why humans are fascinated by birds
Our obsession with creatures of flight, from Homer to Hamlet to Hitchcock.
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Conservatives in crisis
Bill Clinton’s first foray into fiction writing is a thinly-veiled, cringe-worthy superhero fantasy
The President is Missing’s hero is an embattled Democratic president with “rugged good looks”. It’s not hard to see…
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How manners made man
Without its own code of manners, any social group would dissolve into anarchy.
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How public schoolboys run the anti-establishment
We already know that public school alumni dominate the system. But what about the movements that challenge it?
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Trump and the crisis in American diplomacy
Ronan Farrow’s War on Peace is a depressing, timely obituary for traditional American statecraft.
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The return of the F-word: neo-fascism in 2018
Vainglorious sexual antics, boastfulness and scorn for democracy: has the blackshirt spirit returned in Donald Trump?
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Olivia Laing’s Crudo: the summer of 2017 and the spirit of Kathy Acker
It’s as though the ghost of Acker has taken possession of Laing, or a fugue-state Laing is escaping into…
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A close encounter with British Isis jihadis
In an interrogation room in Syria, two members of the notorious “Beatles” terror cell joke about hostages and reminisce…
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Everything is Love: the joint album from power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z
A surprise album might be a trick we’ve seen from Beyoncé before (twice), but it’s no less thrilling this…
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50 years on, the Beatles film Yellow Submarine tells the story of the Sixties
The Beatles had little interest in the making of Yellow Submarine. But, the animation in which they barely appear…
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The soft power of the British Library, a Chinese Jane Eyre, and my dreams of a day at the races
Britain is endowed with tremendous assets in terms of its knowledge infrastructure.
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The National Theatre’s An Octoroon is a challenging take on American race relations
It’s an astonishing play; if only the production weren’t turned up to 11 throughout.
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Donald Trump and the art of the diplomatic handshake
When Reagan shook hands with Gorbachev, a “spark of mutual trust” ignited between the two. Now, Trump warmly greets…
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The crisis of conservatism
Theresa May aspired to be a transformative prime minister and understood the need for change, but her tragedy is…
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BBC Four’s documentary The Many Primes of Muriel Spark is as fascinating as her fiction
Not many writers come with lives as interesting as their books.
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Rachel Johnson’s diary: Paul Dacre’s “nasty paper” and dancing with the Jezziah
Corbyn’s biggest cheer was when he promised music lessons for primary kids. The Second Coming it wasn’t.
ByGetting to know Gareth Southgate
As a young player he would super-companionably shake hands with the opposing team, even if they had just crucified his…
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Melania Trump’s declaration of independence
Journalists, and those engaged in White House Kremlinology, are now speculating that the Trumps’ marriage is all but over.…
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England’s 1966 squad would be horrified by today’s pre-match menu. And Wenger’s to blame
Things have moved on: quinoa and protein shakes have taken the place of pies and puddings.
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How humans shape God in their own image
What does God look like? Or, more accurately, what do American Christians think he looks like?
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David Lammy: “The British political class have crawled into bed with the far right”
The Labour MP on how he remade himself as a backbench rebel on Grenfell, Windrush and Brexit.
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Commons Confidential: Gove goes Fox-hunting
Michael Gove and Liam Fox engaged in what an informant gleefully calls “blazing rows”.
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Why I took a stand against Russian homophobia
In Chechnya, for the past year LGBT+ people have been seized by state agents, detained without trial, tortured and,…
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Letter of the week: Progressive narcissism
A selection of the best letters received from our readers this week. Email [email protected] to have your thoughts voiced…
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Who can challenge Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP and the drive towards Scottish independence?
While the popular Ruth Davidson has transformed the position of the Scottish Tories, she has not transformed their personnel; meanwhile…
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A World Cup summer reawakens a deep nostalgia in the English
Who are the English and what do they want? The Brexit vote has been described as an English revolt, what Orwell called…
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Leader: The NHS and the Conservative crisis
There is, as Mrs May knows, no such thing as a “Brexit dividend” to fund an increase in health service…
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Two musicians and two audience members, but the show had to go on
The hardest part of attending an accidentally private gig, I learned, was knowing the applause etiquette and what to…
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The peace of the quiet carriage was interrupted only by Mister Sunburn’s galling sniffles
“You sound awfully ill,” I say solicitously, doing my best to provide a hint. I give up, and decide…
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Ali Soufan Q&A: “Hotel California is the story of my life“
The former FBI agent talks Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Seinfeld.
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The new US border policy is ripping families apart. This is Trumpism: the politics of hatred
The cruel separation of families at the border is not an unfortunate side-effect – it’s the whole point.
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