Sentimental Education
Not a Letter from England today, but certainly a Letter for Valentine’s Day. I start in Paris with Gustave Flaubert’s […]
Kennedy plays Klezmer
When I first heard Klezmer music played in Kazimierz (Krakow’s historic Jewish area) it was love at first listen. Klezmer […]
The Boat – Hania Rani
A mix of cultures and references today! This exquisite piece, entitled ‘The Boat’, was inspired by the landscape of Scotland, […]
Hairdresser on Fire: The music of António Variações
‘A genius who was not recognised in his time! A poet, a proud Portuguese, original, unique!’ This comment, written by […]
Dark Fairytales
Re-reading ‘Regions of the Great Heresy’, Jerzy Ficowski’s loving preservation of the memory of the great Polish writer and artist […]
Tiny Moves
As Elizabeth Barrett Browning lay dying, clasped in the arms of her great love Robert Browning, her last word was […]
Civilisation
“Ruskin said: ‘Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts, the book of their deeds, the book of their words […]
Elegy for the Departure of Pen Ink and Lamp
I am obsessed with poking around old antique and bric-a-brac shops – the dustier and more crammed with curios the […]
The World of Yesterday
The World of Yesterday is Stefan Zweig’s remarkable evocation of life in Vienna before and between the World Wars. But […]
Musical Box
Here, my title, ‘Musical Box’, refers both to Bjork’s literal musical box and the venue where she performed: the Royal […]