Will Self ponders the contemporary power of the sermon. Read more
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Dearly Beloved
Will Self ponders the contemporary power of the sermon.
Taking Time
Michael Morpurgo takes us on a frosty walk near his home in Devon.
A Lump of Coal and a Black Bun
Alex Massie on the changing face of a Scottish New Year.
A Plate of Pfeffernusse
Zoe Strimpel on sugar's extraordinary power to bind generations.
In the Grey Zone
Mark Damazer on how we judge our political masters.
Identity and Theft
The theft of her backpack gets AL Kennedy thinking about questions of identity and loss.
I See No Ships
Stephen Smith asks what's to become of Britain's naval tradition.
On Ritual
Sara Wheeler ponders the value of ritual and its role in improving character and society.
Why is my handwriting so bad?
Tom Shakespeare ponders the demise of his handwriting.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Rebecca Stott reflects on what's to be gained by going 'down the rabbit hole'.
The Carnival Is Over
Howard Jacobson on the liberation of laughter and a world turned upside down.
The Death and Life of Modern Martyrs
Sarah Dunant on Alexei Navalny and the creation of a modern martyr.
Peak Envy
Will Self reflects on an 'epidemic' of envy.
Michael & Tony & Me
Adam Gopnik warns of our tendency to normalise evil behaviour.
Trump's Second Coming
John Gray accuses US liberals of displaying a 'reckless hubris' in the election campaign.
Work Work Work
AL Kennedy on taking on her workaholism.
Motherland
Zoe Strimpel on crossing the rubicon into motherhood.
It's all right for you
Sara Wheeler reflects on being a sibling to her brother who has a lifelong disability.
On Anger
Caleb Azumah Nelson on why anger is no longer a stranger to him, but a friend.
Me and my medical data
Will Self with a very personal take on the rise of medical records apps.
Protagonists of Reality
Megan Nolan on New York as the Main Character Syndrome capital of the world.
Apple Days
Rebecca Stott on her quest for a decent-tasting apple.
A Clean Break
Tom Shakespeare calls for new thinking to fix the current crisis in our prisons.
Permanently Restless
Sara Wheeler ponders whether holidays ever really deliver the escape that we yearn for.
Orwell on the Campaign Trail
Mark Damazer on elections and the tricky business of political language.
It's Me or the Lamborghini
Howard Jacobson ponders why men suddenly want to read about love.
On Fandom
Zoe Strimpel reflects on the rise and rise of the superfan.
Beyond Bricks and Mortar
Megan Nolan on why she's well suited to the insecurity of her generation's housing crisis.
The Stuff of Museums
Mary Beard on the function of museums and the thorny issue of what should be in them.
Nothing but Nightingale
Rebecca Stott on why Iris Murdoch's theory of 'unselfing' is so apt for our present moment
No Country for Old Men
Sarah Dunant on the profound challenge to America's sense of its own youthfulness.