Our love affair with Anna Karenina
Leo Tolstoy's study of adultery is widely thought of as a romantic work. But don't send it to your lover
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Strange Gods and the Old Devils
They cast their literary spells over a generation, but have Martin Amis and Ian McEwan merit as moralists?
Nadine Gordimer: ‘Comrade Madam’
A personal reminiscence of the Nobel laureate, whose anti-apartheid novels masked her own ruthless ideology
Poet Laureate of the English Shires
A hundred and fifty years after his death, John Clare remains the greatest lyricist of country life
Civilisation: Do we know it when we see it? He did
The presenter the BBC chooses to remake Kenneth Clark's seminal series has a tough act to follow
Treating Composers as Researchers is Bonkers
Music's artistic merit does not depend on academic criteria-as I know from experience
In Search of the Incomparable Max
I discovered Max Beerbohm as an undergraduate. Rereading his work today has been just as enjoyable
God, Hayek and the Conceit of Reason
The economist knew the survival of civilisation rested on belief but couldn't make the leap of faith
Damian McBride: A Cautionary Tale
Did Gordon Brown’s aide receive moral formation at Peterhouse, Cambridge? If not, why not?
Lessons For Librarians Of London’s Folio Fiasco
A plan to sell four Shakespeare Folios revealed a widespread underappreciation of rare books
Is Bach The Voice Of God In Music?
John Eliot Gardiner's new portrait is the culmination of a lifetime's devotion to the great composer
Is the Brain the Key to Understanding Religion?
The neuroscience of human nature now treats mind and body as a single integrated entity