Notebooks

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

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Brian Wilson was made for these times

The presiding genius of the Beach Boys, the late Brian Wilson, was one of the very best of the postwar generation.

Bryan Appleyard June 13, 2025

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How Nato can defend the Atlantic

The United Kingdom’s vision of a North Atlantic secured from Russian submarine warfare is possible. But it will require inspired leadership, partnership with industry, and support ..

Andrew Boyd June 12, 2025

A young 'hippie' stands in front of a row of National Guard soldiers outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, on 26 August, 1968.

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America’s National Guard, a history of heroism and violence

Throughout recent US history, the National Guard has been a recurring player in confrontations between the state capitals and Washington, DC. Now, Trump’s decision to deploy the Gu..

Phil Tinline June 11, 2025

Audrey Rouget, played by Carolyn Farina, in Whit Stillman's Metropolitan (1990).

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Whit Stillman’s comedies of manners

Metropolitan, the American filmmaker Whit Stillman’s timeless masterpiece, is that rare and precious thing: a very entertaining comedy about virtue. Set in New York, it explores th..

Muriel Zagha June 10, 2025

Karol Nawrocki waves to supporters in Gdánsk on 18 May 2025.

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Making Poland great again

Since the fall of Communism, Poland’s elites have failed to grasp the political power of historical memory. Their neglect allows politicians like President-elect Karol Nawrocki to ..

Adam Zamoyski June 9, 2025

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Thomas Mann’s cathedrals in prose

One of the greatest European writers, Thomas Mann, born 150 years ago, dedicated his life to the pursuit of literary form. He left a monumental legacy.

Morten Høi Jensen June 6, 2025

British munitions factory in the First World War.

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The merits of a wartime mentality

The continuing Russo-Ukrainian war and the readiness of Moscow to think and act as if it is already in a wider conflict with the West mean a war-time mentality is needed right now.

Lawrence Freedman June 5, 2025

The signing of the European Convention on Human Rights in Rome, 4 November 1950.

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Internationalism’s moral fallacies

Many internationalists believe that undermining national authority is a moral virtue. Yet international law is founded upon national agency, and cannot be sustained without the goo..

Robert Lyman June 4, 2025

Soviet poster of Leonid Brezhnev with collective farm combine-harvester drivers.

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The rise of the gerontocrats

The Soviet gerontocracy are an inspiration to ageing autocrats everywhere.

Paul Josephson June 4, 2025