Notebooks

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

Painting titled The Last Day of Pompeii by the Russian artist, Karl Bryullov.

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In the face of nature we are all too human

Pliny, the great Roman encyclopedist, urged people to respect the environment. We should heed his sage advice.

Daisy Dunn July 27, 2023

The term 'Nazi' sprayed on an election poster for the AfD (Alternative für Deutschland).

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Beyond Berlin

The rise of the AfD could be reversed if German politicians listened to the concerns of their electorate.

Katja Hoyer July 26, 2023

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The inexhaustible genius of classical music

Classical music doesn’t need to dumb down to make itself accessible: its genius is that it’s already accessible to people of every skill level. Which human pursuit can compete with..

Elisabeth Braw July 26, 2023

Fishing boat on a sandy beach near Krynica Morska, Poland.

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Strawberry buns at The End of the World Café: thoughts on the Polish-Russian border

The border between Poland and the Russian Oblast of Kaliningrad has an especially eerie resonance in these troubled times.

Juliette Bretan July 25, 2023

Qin Gang, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, now missing.

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The politics of China’s purges

It would be wrong to think of the disappearance and possible downfall of China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, as an embarrassment for the Communist Party. Purges are an essential pa..

Michael Sheridan July 24, 2023