Auteur Provocateur
Michel Houllebecq's Soumission is provocative but treads familiar territory
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Tough Tales For Dark Times
Erich Kästner's books for children shows that that difficult ideas don't have to be kept from young readers
The Case For The Classics
Three books offer fresh and enchanting views on the ancient past and how it can still live
The Dandy and the Crazy Gang
Michael Bloch's deft biography turns Jeremy Thorpe's life into a page-turning narrative
The Aesthetes: When Kitsch Was Avant-Garde
We may sneer at the Victorian aesthetes, but is the sloppier, more cynical art of today any healthier?
Faded Master Of Experimentation
A new exhibition tries to resurrect the reputation of Sir Joshua Reynolds
Gibraltar’s Battle Of The Sexes
The planet's pre-emininent open chess tournament
An English Enthusiast
Reflections on the passing of beloved music critic Michael Kennedy