Betrayed by Günter Grass
'I was fond of my father's old friend Günter Grass. I'd like to think he knew better'
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Time Trouble
Some of the game's greatest have had trouble playing against the clock. Not so Bobby Fischer, who was a lord of time.
Real Men Don’t Use Brylcreem
Public displays of emotion, sequins, ear studs and nancy boy’s clothes: where have all the men’s men gone? You may remember a few years ago a magnificent rebuke issued to Lord Mandelson
“Weary of Silence, Soon Sickened by Words”
Delving into the various linguistic predicaments of Samuel Beckett reveals the beautiful complications of his writings.
Cameron Should Scrap His Tired Old Script
The Prime Minister acts like a figure from the era of Clinton and Blair. Their style of politics is dead and he needs a new one
Good Idea, Bad PR
With Steve Hilton on sabbatical in California, it’s high time Cameron ditched the Big Society. To the long list of flagship ideas and slogans that have failed to catch on (which includes
Money Talks
Occupy protestors rightly identify the City’s failings, but, as Terry Smith points out, the market itself is not the enemy. I once proposed a short book, to be called How to Make Money
Perishing Publishers
As publishers charge more for journals, academics are beginning to feel short-changed. How do you publish a research paper? Unlike book publishing where authors, as a general rule, get advances, you first
From Krupp to Aldi
A new history of the Krupps and their firm is a reminder of their murky wartime record. In the Anglophone world Krupp is not just the name of a steel and armaments manufacturer:
Finns’ Baton Charge
Now Sakari Oramo is cheif conductor at the BBC Symphony Orchestra, many fear a Scandinavian supremacy in British music. It was a morose morning-after at the maestros’ bar. “What do the Finns have
O Lucky Man
Gary Player famously said “the more I practice the luckier I get”. But does this sporting adage work for politicians? Are some politicians luckier than others? In the lucky camp you might
Mighty Kleist
‘German intellectuals are fascinated by outsiders, especially tortured rebels like Heinrich von Kleist’