Tate Hangs Back
The Tate's chronological 'hang' of its pictures has ruffled some feathers but it means art lovers can now fly on their own wings
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
The Zombie Argument that Refuses to Die
While it gives more credence to the naysayers than it should, Shakespeare Beyond Doubt excellently marshalls the evidence over the authorship of the bard's plays
Play It Again, Jan
Music is integral to the National Gallery’s Vermeer show, perfectly representing the arc of life itself
All the World’s Royal Stage
Robert Whelan’s history of the Theatre Royal indulges in a bit of frippery, but otherwise artfully and humorously tells the 350-year long story of West-End drama
How Seminal Was Burke?
In his biography of the statesman, Jesse Norman presents Burke as of seminal importance to today’s conservatism, and to Cameron’s government. He isn’t.
Motivation of a Masterpiece
Why did Alexis de Tocqueville write Democracy in America? Lucien Jaume’s excellent work of scholarship helps elucidate the answer by investigating the man
The Birth of the Affluent Society
David Kynaston’s Modernity Britain, the fifth of his series of histories of Britain since 1945, reveals the late Fifties to be not a time of illiberalism and repression, but of a generosity
How Jesuitical is the Pope?
Mealy-mouthed and equivocal or just shy? Two new books help us to understand the motives and beliefs of the enigmatic Pope Francis
Salad Days and Egyptian Nights
Peter Stothard’s lifelong ambition was to write a biography of Cleopatra. The charming result says as much about the author as it does about the Egyptian queen
Treacherous Path to Safety
Cruel Crossing charts the history of the escape routes in the Pyrenees used by Spanish republican, then French Jewish refugees. It is a thoughtful memorial to these brave and desperate people
Clear Prose of Shining Brilliance
In her latest collection of essays, the New Yorker staff writer Janet Malcolm is at her empathetic, clever, shining best
Is This the Great Italian Novel?
The Art of Joy by Goliarda Sapienza has been hailed as the Great Italian Novel. If this is the greatest, then how dull must the rest be?