storyteller named Aesop spun fable after fable fea- turing foxes and lions, tor- toises and mice in Greece around the sixth century BC; in ancient India, Pandit Vishnu Sharma smuggled lessons on statecraft and political guile into the urbane tales of the Panchatantra, starring jackals and crocodiles, elephants and crows. This yearning among writers to expe- rience our world through the gaze of non…
The feminist forecast Isabel Berwick ona compelling call to engage with the goals that were once the backbone in the fight for women’s rights atasha Walter's Feminism for a World on Fire arrived just in time for the apocalyptic summer of 2026, as wild- fires burn in Europe and drought ravages harvests. Her book is, in some ways, as alarming as these times. The reader feels a little of the heavines…
Hockney 's poolside muse A biography captures the hedonism, sunshine and high-flying social circles that inspired the artist in 1960s California. By Christian House hen David Hockney died earlier this year, tributes praised the Bradford-born painter for achieving that rare art-world hat-trick: he was admired by critics, his works sold for millions and the public adored him. Hockney's life and work…
The feminist forecast Isabel Berwick ona compelling call to engage with the goals that were once the backbone in the fight for women’s rights atasha Walter's Feminism for a World on Fire arrived just in time for the apocalyptic summer of 2026, as wild- fires burn in Europe and drought ravages harvests. Her book is, in some ways, as alarming as these times. The reader feels a little of the heavines…
Has football reached peak Pep? His system of coaching changed the beautiful game. But a new study portrays him as a pilferer of ideas as much as a philosopher, writes Jonathan Derbyshire The Spectre of Pep: How Guardiola Haunts Modern Football Tactics by Jon Mackenzie Seven Dials £25 416 pages spectre haunted this sum- mer’s World Cup — the spectre of Pep Guardiola. The Catalan coach, who left Man…
Books For, against and both at the same time The people of Russia speak for themselves in an extraordinary on-the-ground account of how it really feels to live in Putin's world of contradiction and doublethink. By Matthew Janney Never Say War: Life Inside Russia by Asne Seierstad, translated by Sién Mackie Virago £30,512 pages he best soldier is one nobody will miss.” Linger on that sentence for a…
J ps Bir Police respond to the mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 12017 =o Becker First Leith, now Las Vegas Irvine Welsh's well-rounded cast spin a tale of violence and generational conflict against the backdrop of Trump's presidency, writes Peter Hoskin rvine Welsh is famously Scottish. But is he, by now, quite American too? Atter all, it has been about 17 years since the Trainspotting author…
books I Are you Team Cartland or Kingsolver? The big autumn reads From stylish fiction to gossipy memoirs, here’s our guide to the buzziest books you won''t want to miss Agrippa by Robert Harris Hutchinson Heinemann £22, Aug 27 “I came into the world feet-first — a dangerous way to arrive,” is how Agrippa begins. Robert Harris has returned to the world of his Cicero trilogy by telling the story of…
Good aliens, bad aliens, and an ET called Allen am A Miller's Still Lost: Tales from the Year 2080 (Del Rey £20/Penguin $19) comprises eight stories set after the arrival of a race of benevolent, technologically advanced aliens who have solved pretty much all of the world’sills, from bringing about nuclear disarmament to fixing the climate crisis. The concept is ripe with potential, but Miller doe…
Good aliens, bad aliens, and an ET called Allen SCIENCE FICTION By James Lovegrove am A Miller's Still Lost: Tales from the Year 2080 (Del Rey £20/Penguin $19) comprises eight stories set after the arrival of a race of benevolent, technologically advanced aliens who have solved pretty much all of the worlds ills, from bringing about nuclear disarmament to fixing the climate crisis. The concept is …
