Clubland battle of the bookmen
When a gossip columnist criticised Thackeray, Dickens weighed in to savage his rival
The best of British junk
Inconsequential and vacuous, Cathy Wilkes is the perfect representative for Britain at the Venice Biennale
A question of attribution
The forthcoming sale of a purported Caravaggio is set to exceed £100m, but its provenance is far from clear
Tearing down the culture temples
British arts venues want to become bastions of “inclusivity” at the expense of connoisseurship
A brush with painting’s history
The restoration of great works of art is increasingly being carried out in public before an admiring audience
Belly of the beast
The Booker-winning Marlon James takes on the fantasy genre with a novel sent in a phantasmagorical version of Africa
Perils of paying off the pirates
Kidnapping remains a lucrative business. Anja Shortland’s new book examines how and where it thrives
In defence of globalisation
Free trade is not without costs — but those costs are outweighed by the benefits. And where costs exist, the answer to “open” is rarely “closed”
Scones and jam in the fridge
The lives of Southern Irish Protestants are almost invisible to external observers. A new book of essays sets out to reveal something of them
Clubland battle of the bookmen
When a gossip columnist criticised Thackeray, Dickens weighed in to savage his rival
The enduring legacy of Andrea Verrocchio
A Florence exhibition celebrates one of the most influential artists you’ve never heard of
The lasting worth of ‘worthless’ books
Nothing written is utterly without value, as I proved to myself by reading two random works
Why being normal is the new normal
Self-help advice might seem painfully obvious, but those who struggle with “normality” need it
Theft And Lies In Vienna
Having stolen a Klimt masterpiece, the Nazis could only show it if they hid the Jewish identity of its subject
Getting Away With Murder
A new thriller set in late-Stalinist Soviet Union has alarmed Russian authorities
Why Is ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ the New Normal?
A psychologist and sex therapist wonders where E.L. James’s celebration of sadomasochism comes from and what it means for human relationships
Bad Manors
A pivotal moment in British movie history — and Bob Hoskins’s greatest performance
Virtuosos of the written word
Only a few great composers are equally gifted writers: their work can be sacred or hatefully profane
The adoration of the Maestro
The Concertgebouw’s trailblazing conductor sublimated his libido in worship of Hitler and Mussolini
Describing the indescribable
Few of even the greatest writers have managed to capture the emotional, elusive, essence of music
The threepenny opera boom
Inspirational amateur companies are flourishing, yet damned as elitist by London’s culture czars
The joy of virtual sex
Can society stand by and allow the technology that allows people to simulate sex with their neighbour?
Extremism is good business
Promoting demagogues of Left and Right makes for increased ratings but is bad for democracy
Moral cowardice of conservatives
Eurosceptics lacked the integrity to acknowledge the consequences of leaving the EU’s single market
You too, Polanski
Hollywood has finally washed its hands of a sexual predator, a mere 40 years after his conviction
Miller’s tales and Nordic gloom
Willy Loman is back in town, still pursuing the American dream, while Ibsen’s unhappy ghosts return too
All boys together in Pinterworld
A new production of Betrayal reminds us of the playwright’s insights into male relationships
Spoiled for choice
Joshua Harmon’s new play about the struggle to get into top American universities could not be more timely
Molière still hits the spot
The classic Tartuffe transposed to Highgate provides a witty commentary on post-crash London