Notebooks

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

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Missing the point about Byron

Tributes to Lord Byron emphasised the romantic, brooding persona of the rakish young poet and ignored his later work as a witty satirist and fighter for Greek freedom. It is an ove..

Robert Thicknesse September 9, 2024

The Renaissance polymath Athansius Kircher's map of Atlantis.

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The illusory search for a lost civilisation

The search for lost civilisations has mesmerised humanity for centuries – Graham Hancock is this craze's latest and most eloquent manifestation.

Christopher Hale September 4, 2024

The opening chapter of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.

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What makes a good opening line?

The best opening lines disclose the inner life of the novel they set in motion.

Oliver Soden September 2, 2024

Arthur Ashe serving at the US Open, September 1968.

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How Arthur Ashe rewrote the script

Amid the turmoil of the 1968 election, Arthur Ashe's groundbreaking US Open win propelled him from tennis star to civil rights icon.

Theo Zenou September 2, 2024

Russian soldiers retreating in Ternopil, Ukraine, during the First World War.

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The death of Tsarist Russia and the creation of modern Ukraine

Russian views of Ukraine can be rooted back to the early 20th century, when Ukraine managed to emerge as a nation state out of the chaos of the First World War.

Nick Lloyd August 29, 2024

The Royal Albert Hall during the BBC Proms.

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A new Cold War for classical music

At a time of geopolitical turmoil, Russian musicians have been excluded from Western stages, but double standards are unjust and leave classical music worse off.

Elisabeth Braw August 28, 2024

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The muddles and mysteries of A Passage to India

One hundred years after it was first published, EM Forster's A Passage to India still captures the cultural entanglements of British-Indian relations during the Raj that emerged fr..

Malcolm Forbes August 27, 2024

A Ukrainian soldier walks through the centre of Sudzha in Kursk.

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Ukraine in Kursk: a lesson in strategic audacity

Ukraine's surprise offensive into Kursk has not only caught Russia off guard but also shocked its Western allies, exposing the contrast between Ukrainian boldness and the West's ti..

Mick Ryan August 26, 2024

A frieze of Henry III on Middlesex Hall, the home of the UK Supreme Court.

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For the common good

In the 13th and 14th centuries, the concept of the 'common good' became a pivotal battleground in English politics, foreshadowing the modern-day rhetoric of politicians who promise..

Caroline Burt August 23, 2024