James Joyce’s Ulysses, which turned 102 last February, is now central to the literary canon and features on university literature courses around the world. However, it was not always as revered as it is now. In fact, it was banned as obscene before it was first published as a complete novel, regarded as a work… Continue reading Ulysses at 102: why it was banned for being obscene
Secrecy has become as important for corporations as transparent and taxable profits used to be, according to Raymond W. Baker in his new book Invisible Trillions. Global capitalism, he argues, operates beyond the rule of law. This contributes to extreme inequality that threatens liberal democracy. Deals in the financial secrecy system account for half of global economic… Continue reading Invisible Trillions review: global capitalism operates beyond the rule of law and threatens democracy
A cultural critic rails against a society that worships celebrity and prizes images over ideas. A progressive intellectual attacks the dominance of corporate elites. A curmudgeonly academic condemns his society’s ignorance of its past and the dumbing down of public education. A psychologically astute writer explores the conflicts eddying around gender and sexuality. Who are these disparate… Continue reading Seer of the selfie: In The Culture of Narcissism, Christopher Lasch excoriated his self-absorbed society
Zadie Smith’s latest novel, The Fraud, is her first foray into the world of historical fiction. The result is a stunning, well-studied examination of Victorian colonial England and some of its inhabitants. As with other works by Smith, the novel takes a patchwork approach, with several interwoven plots taking place over a period of about 50… Continue reading The Fraud by Zadie Smith review: a dazzling depiction of Victorian colonial England
Knife is Salman Rushdie’s account of how he narrowly survived an attempt on his life in August 2022, in which he lost his right eye and partial use of his left hand. The attack ironically came when Rushdie was delivering a lecture on “the creation in America of safe spaces for writers from elsewhere”, at… Continue reading In Knife, Salman Rushdie confronts a world where liberal principles like free speech are old-fashioned
Gabriel García Márquez (1927-2014) – affectionately known as “Gabo” – started his career as a journalist, but is famous for the novels and short stories that earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. Alongside Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa and the Mexican Carlos Fuentes, he was the best-known member of the triumvirate that… Continue reading Gabriel García Márquez’s last novel is a moving testament to his genius
In Land Sickness by Nikolaj Schultz, we are taken on a journey that is both deeply personal and universally significant. As a heatwave engulfs Paris, the protagonist finds himself disoriented and disconnected from his usual reality by the brutal effects of climate change. Unable to escape the suffocating heat or the gnawing anxiety it brings,… Continue reading A new school of Philosophy comes to fruition in Land Sickness by Nikolaj Schultz
The Penguin Modern Classics is not only an essential guide to twentieth century literature across the world but a continuous journey in which each flick of the page leads to a new culture and era of literature, with books enticingly shining their cover designs at you shouting, read me! Showcasing every title published in the… Continue reading The Penguin Modern Classics Book: A delight for all bibliophiles
