Notebooks

Notebooks are snapshots from our writers, reflecting on current affairs and underappreciated aspects of culture and history.

Iraqi children in front of a mural of Saddam Hussein, Baghdad, 1999. Credit: KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images.

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Learning from the big, bold 1990s debates over the post-Cold War world

In the digital age, intellectual debate is more polarising and vituperative than ever. To generate the new thinking needed to navigate our uncertain global landscape we should revi..

Francis J. Gavin February 22, 2021

A print of the neoclassical St George's Hall, Liverpoo

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Classics in the cul-de-sacs

Our cities are so saturated in the mythology of the ancient world that classical allusions pop up in unexpected places.

Fergus Butler-Gallie February 16, 2021

The countryside in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France.

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The possibility of elsewhere

A 17th century reflection on the virtues of travel shows us what is being lost during the pandemic.

Jenny McCartney February 12, 2021

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A very modern revival

The poet Edith Sitwell has more to offer than her infamous reputation suggests.

William Hutton February 12, 2021

King Cetshwayo photographed by Alexander Bassano on Bond Street, London (1885). Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

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When King Cetshwayo came to London

The King of the Zulus, Cetshwayo, turned defeat into diplomatic success after winning the hearts of the British public.

Harry Cluff February 5, 2021

Pyramids of the ancient Kushite rulers in Sudan

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The Sahara by armchair

Reading the Andalusian Arab writer al-Bakri is to go on a magnificent journey through harsh deserts and lands rich in gold watched over by quixotic local rulers.

Peter Frankopan February 5, 2021