Zubok’s mammoth work is a provocative, honest examination of the dissolution of the Soviet empire and Gorbachev’s failings. At the end, it strikes a note that is intriguingly personal and even hopeful.
The joy of reading does not emerge in silent reflection, grand old libraries and the hallowed halls of academe. It’s something more elemental than that – books are like keys in a lock that can turn to open doors into new places.
The 1945 novel presents the ancient bridge as a metaphor for Bosnia’s suffering, its fragility and the country’s role as a link between the East and the West.
Contributors and members of the editorial team select their personal picks of 2021.
First published in 1621, Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy is a treatise, an encyclopedia, a self-help manual and more besides. Remarkably ahead of its time, this treasure trove contains unbounded riches for new readers.
Billy Lee Brammer’s The Gay Place is a masterpiece, providing an insight into the imaginative world of LBJ’s America.
Set amidst the ruins of the ancien régime in his native Normandy, Barbey’s masterpiece is bewitched by the spectre of dead priests and a community torn by struggle.
Once admired by contemporaries like Graham Greene, Patrick Hamilton’s gritty tales of down-and-out London are finally receiving the praise they deserve.
Inspired by the deserts of his homeland Australia, Patrick White mastered a unique and unsparing prose which continues to resonate with writers the world over.
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