Ellen Alpsten
The Leaning Tower of Dresden
In his epic novel ‘The Tower’ Uwe Tellkamp brilliantlydepicts the grotesque idiosyncrasies of the GDR’s bureaucracy
Queen of Hearts
500 years ago Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s least known wife, best-selling author and England’s most married queen was born
The Wagner Family Soap Opera Rolls On
‘The Wagner family has never let Bayreuth and the festival out if its grip — today it is still run by two of Richard’s great-granddaughters’
Thank God for a Good Education
London became a better place to live after we became involved with our local church in a quest for a good school for our sons
Dreams for their Children
The rise of Kenya’s middle class offers the country, and the whole continent, hope for the future
Will the green agenda be killed off by the pandemic?
‘Will the green agenda be killed off by the longer-term coronavirus recovery? Or might the closure of so much business, and the cleaner air that results from planes not flying and factories not working, give us extra years to gain control of our environment?’
Why T.S. Eliot still matters
His contemporaries’ reputations have diminished. But Eliot’s has grown: he is the poet who shows us what can be saved from the ruins
Music’s in the house
Rappers have found a role in lockdown: chronicling coronavirus with topical tunes. Most people, though, are rushing to the safety of the past