Interpenetration
The utopian Labour peer's new science of happiness is doing wonders for its inventor
Survivor of Stasiland
The death of Christa Wolf has left Germany bereft of a powerful bridge of literary consciousness, whose universal work could talk to a once-divided nation
Powell’s Penpal
A new limited-edition paperback documents the charming correspondence between US book collector Robert Vanderbilt and Anthony Powell
Italian Insouciance
The over-generous Italian welfare state means that for all the belt-tightening, most people in the country still enjoy la dolce vita
Gift for Greece
Spirit of London 2012? The best thing that could happen to the Olympic Games would be to send them home
Fussball über alles
The German film Der Ganz Grosse Traum shows the delightful story of the first Anglo-German conflict (football match, that is)
Law Lore
Americanisms sullying the English language are rarely harmful — apart from when they insinuate that our politicians are all-powerful
Fischer’s Cuban Crisis
A lesser-known Cold War chess clash which left Bobby Fischer the worse for wear
Snooker Without Balls
Affinity between aficionadoes of baize and board
The Killer Instinct
The chess player's mind is not necessarily a criminal one - but two consummate players did turn out to be murderers
Getting Away With Murder
A new thriller set in late-Stalinist Soviet Union has alarmed Russian authorities
New York Survival Story
How the New York Public Library weathered a near-death experience