Britain’s pre-eminent political historian and constitutional analyst chronicles the pandemic and lists the ingredients for a ‘new Beveridge’; but there are international parallels, too.
The tumultuous interwar period posed enormous challenges to the world’s largest bank. In his latest work, Martin Horn charts how J.P Morgan & Co. survived the Wall Street Crash, federal regulation and the rise of authoritarianism, evolving into the firm it is today.
Charles Dickens’ only dystopia has been rather unheralded, but it is a tale for our fossil-fuel powered age.
How soul-seeking secret agents looked to sonnets for ideological salvation in the literary circles of the German Democratic Republic.
As the old adage goes, Nepal is a yam between two boulders. However, slowly but surely Nepal is unsticking itself from its southern neighbour and turning north towards China.
Although previously dismissed as fanciful and tedious, the world of E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops in fact bears an unsettling resemblance to our own.
A goal for China which had recently seemed attainable is beginning once more to recede into the distance, argues Rush Doshi.
Mary Beard focuses on more tangible aspects of Roman imperial representations
The development and evolution of jihadi groups in the West is examined here in forensic detail – and although focused rather narrowly in places, it lends readers a deeper and broader understanding of the scale of jihadi networks; their aims; and modus operandi.
This comprehensive – and somewhat bleak – survey of modern warfare questions our assumptions of what war is and details how we can develop the awareness and resilience needed to survive this new reality.
By placing objects at the centre of his research, Pearson allows the complexities and conflicts of the Second World War to co-exist.
James Howard-Johnston delves deep into war between two great powers but mysteries remain.
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.
Engelsberg Ideas is brought to you by The Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit
Stureplan 3, SE 103 75 Stockholm, Sweden editors@engelsbergideas.com www.axsonjohnsonfoundation.org
By subscribing, you consent to us contacting you by email. You may unsubscribe at any time, and we’ll keep your personal data safe in accordance with our privacy policy.
