Notebooks

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The Bethlehem factor

The Bethlehem factor has affected more than just our theology of place: it has changed how we think about everything.

Fergus Butler-Gallie December 25, 2023

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Dickens’ mechanical ghosts

In ‘The Signal-Man’, one of Charles Dickens’ final stories, the author is haunted by the world of the machine and the inability of humans to stop its destructiveness.

Jeremy Wikeley December 21, 2023

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J.G.A. Pocock’s roads not taken

The great historian’s life and works stand as a paean to the power and importance of historical knowledge.

Eloise Davies December 19, 2023

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How Sweden’s NATO bid became a geopolitical bargaining chip

Sweden’s frustrating NATO accession experience should serve as a warning to other countries that any major international initiative risks becoming a lightning rod for other nations..

Elisabeth Braw December 18, 2023

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Krampus lives

While the chest-beating behaviour of Austrian youngsters in hairy costumes may appear outdated when measured by modern Western standards, the deep emotions that draw so many people..

Katja Hoyer December 18, 2023

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The paradoxes of Ireland’s imperial past

Ignorance of Ireland’s engagement with empire has enabled extreme nationalists to manipulate a past which is also in the present.

Jane Ohlmeyer December 14, 2023

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Venezuela’s Essequibo gamble

Plagued by domestic political and economic difficulties, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has ordered the occupation of the Essequibo territory of Guyana. The threat of war now ..

Michael Reid December 13, 2023

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Notre-Dame’s resurrection

The reconstruction of Notre-Dame, scheduled to be completed in a year's time, is a frequent source of wonder for Parisians.

Agnès Poirier December 13, 2023

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The broken lawnmower: Noël Coward’s greatest line?

There are more famous Noël Coward lines, but a quote from the 1942 film, In Which We Serve, might just be his best.

Oliver Soden December 11, 2023