Notebooks

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

Still from 'The Trial', a documentary by Sergei Loznitsa (2018). Image: TCD/Prod.DB

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The first Moscow show trial

A compelling film by the Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa captures the grotesque spectacle that anticipated Stalin’s purge of his rivals.

Paul Lay August 19, 2026

Heraldic gates at an entrance to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Whitehall. London, United Kingdom.

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Britain needs to rediscover a more resilient statecraft

A new initiative to foster defence collaboration between government, universities and industry must not forget the role of the humanities.

T.G. Otte August 19, 2026

Vinyl record of Debussy's La Mer. Credit: Vinyls

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Gérard Grisey advanced Debussy’s sonic world

Debussy’s translation of the sea into orchestral sound provided a model for his later compatriot, whose spectral music created a new sonic world.

Ian Thomson August 18, 2026

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Epigrams – the last defence against algorithmic prose

In the age of AI, aspiring writers should turn to masters of the epigram such as Luca Turin, Ian Nairn and David Thomson, whose writing relishes precision, personality and inimitab..

Paul Lay August 17, 2026

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attend the signing ceremony of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement in Mecca on August 7, 2026.

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Two axes of a new Middle East

A Pakistan-Saudi-Turkey defence pact and a growing India-Israel-UAE alignment are binding the security of the Middle East to that of the Indian subcontinent.

Ved Shinde August 14, 2026

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The high summer of Finnish art

In the summer of 1893, three Finnish artists painted their masterpieces in a moment of national awakening for a people still under the yoke of the Russian Empire.

Gordon F. Sander August 14, 2026

Cerebral activity replaced by a mechanical process.

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Resisting the seductions of AI fluency

Depending on large language models to generate smooth, plausible prose subtly degrades a writer's capacity to develop a voice of their own.

Alastair Benn August 13, 2026

Famous Soviet classical pianist Sviatoslav Richter performing, USSR, 1970s.

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The profound elegance of Haydn’s piano sonatas

A 1987 performance by the great Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter reveals Haydn's exquisite, often overlooked piano sonatas.

Paul Lay August 12, 2026

A painting illustrating a scene from the war in the Vendée.

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Victor Hugo’s 1793

The valedictory novel of Victor Hugo, newly translated into English, recounts the Terror and traces its legacy down the generations. It shows why the French still argue about the m..

Boyd Tonkin August 12, 2026