Kind Hearts And Couplets
Two poets show that fierce emotion is not restricted by rhyme or meter
Politics, Ideas and the Arts
Russian Renaissance
Fresh translations of lesser-known Russian literature are opening up new horizons
Saul Bellow’s Gift: A Life Of Observation
A new biography of the American novelist presents a comic genius who never claimed to be exemplary
Still Alive, Last Time We Heard
Two poets on the pleasure of memory
Fifty Shades Of Sorrow
A compelling novel which echoes Madame Bovary in its depiction of unsatisfying marriage
A Reputation More Durable Than Marble
What does it take to achieve lasting poetic fame in an age of glut?
Auteur Provocateur
Michel Houllebecq's Soumission is provocative but treads familiar territory
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
How the Nazis Lost the War on the West
Three refugees saw the Third Reich as the enemy of civilisation. Today we can learn from their example
My Meeting with the Byron of Our Times
Like the poet, Patrick Leigh Fermor was a dashing man of action and letters and a hero to the Greeks for his wartime exploits in Crete
Better than a Grand Slam
Clive James: whether the culture is low or high, he is in it for the thrills