Monk’s House: Virginia Woolf’s most ‘Beloved Home’
“How much better is silence; the coffee cup, the table. How much better to sit by myself like the solitary […]
‘Two English Poems’: by the great Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges
“I inscribe this book to I. J..: English, innumerable and an Angel. Also: I offer her that kernel of myself that […]
London Remembers: Wall of Heroes in Postman’s Park
‘I tried my best and could do no more’ [the last words of Alice Ayres] In the heart of London’s […]
Never Forgotten: Jeff Buckley’s stunning rendition of Dido’s Lament
“Remember me!” “When I am laid in earth, may my wrongs create No trouble in thy breast; Remember me, but […]
Modigliani and his English muse Beatrice Hastings
Today’s ‘Letter’ is inspired by a question written in to Nick Cave’s ‘Red Hand Files’, simply asking: ‘Do you have […]
Creative Spaces: The Writing Sheds of Dylan Thomas and Roald Dahl
Between two writers there is often literary influence and sometimes more than influence – words, lines even whole plots can […]
London in All Weathers: Derain, Kirsty MacColl and a Bench in Soho Square
I’ve always associated Hyde Park with art due to the excellent Serpentine Gallery. But if there is a single art […]
In the Mood for Love: British Connections
Many critics study Wong Kar-wai’s masterpiece ‘In the Mood for Love’ through its cinematography, noting its use of ‘frames within […]
‘That was how it all began’: Helen and Edward Thomas’s first meeting
‘The simple lack of her is more to me than others’ presence’ [Edward Thomas] I start not with a meeting […]
Memories and Magic: The transformations of Mr Benn
An ordinary street in London, a bowler hatted ‘everyman’, and a fancy dress shop… For those who haven’t seen ‘Mr […]