Notebooks

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The intoxicating humanism of Truffaut’s Les 400 Coups

Truffaut’s interest in people - their emotional lives, their relationships with one another - continues to fascinate. His films are about childhood, adolescence, love, loss, desire..

Agnès Poirier January 27, 2022

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The 1920 Battle for Ukraine — a warning from the past

Having practically saved Europe from a communist takeover, Poland's head of state Joseph Pilsudski’s insistence a century ago on a strong, independent Ukraine, protected by the Wes..

Joshua D. Zimmerman January 24, 2022

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Careless posts cost lives

Our culture of immediate information-sharing puts military operations in jeopardy.

Elisabeth Braw January 21, 2022

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Orwell in all weathers

The weather was more than just a backdrop to Orwell's narratives - it shaped his life and art in profound and unexpected ways.

Malcolm Forbes January 21, 2022

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Putin needs ‘General Frost’ on his side to win in Ukraine

In 1812, the brutally cold Russian winter helped defend Moscow and defeat Napoleon’s army. In 2022, Vladimir Putin will be hoping the ground freezes to allow his conventional force..

Tim Marshall January 18, 2022

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‘Make it New’ — the rewards of novelty in ancient literature

Classical and novel appear antithetical but a search for the new is evident in some of the oldest literary works.

Armand D'Angour January 16, 2022

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The things gained in translation

Untangling abstract words from one language to another is a subjective task – and translations often reveal as much about their translator as their original text

Eve Webster January 14, 2022

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In defence of Denethor

For all his qualities as a filmmaker, Peter Jackson's representation of Denethor shows how he is unable to fuse the genius of Tolkien and the rich sensibility he brought to bear in..

Alastair Benn January 14, 2022

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On the medicalisation of the mind

Modern attempts to categorise phenomena as varied as mental illness should be reevaluated. Wittgenstein's family resemblance concept points to the folly of labelling any number of ..

Arif Ahmed January 7, 2022