Portraits

portraits

Fritz Mannheimer – stockbroker of peace

The German-born Jewish emigré found riches as a clever banker in inter-war Amsterdam. He was soon to find a higher purpose for his accounting skills: the fight against fascism in E..

Nicholas Mulder March 24, 2021

portraits

Tsiang Tingfu – pre-revolutionary China’s last bridge with the West

The American-educated diplomat and historian sought Chinese national revival on cosmopolitan lines, but Mao's revolution led to exile as mainland China was closed off to the world.

Rana Mitter March 9, 2021

portraits

Christopher Lasch – contrarian critic of America’s elites

Critical of capitalism and of social liberalism, Lasch interrogated America’s national character during an era of profound change – and his prescient ideas are even more relevant t..

Matthew Goodwin March 3, 2021

portraits

Jesse Ventura – the wrestling governor who blazed a trail for Trump

The former Navy SEAL and WWE champion won Minnesota’s governorship in 1999 on an anti-elite ticket. His transition from showbiz to politics was a precursor of the age of Trump – bu..

Dominic Sandbrook February 25, 2021

portraits

Mimi Baez Fariña – life beyond the 60s

The lost folk singer Mimi Fariña's career shows the story of the 'greatest decade' of the 20th century in a new light.

Francesca Peacock February 15, 2021

portraits

Giovannino Guareschi: Italian Orwell

In his contrarian pamphlets and sketches, Guareschi earned his reputation as an uncompromising critic of Italy’s post-war decadence.

Tobias Jones February 12, 2021

portraits

Nehemiah Wallington – Puritan chronicler had far less fun than Pepys

The God-fearing diarist Wallington revealed a spiritual crisis far removed from the cosmopolitanism of his fast-living contemporary.

Vanessa Harding February 5, 2021

portraits

The cult of Jacob Boehme

Jacob Boehme was an unlikely seventeenth-century mystic, but his visionary imaginings of the world struck a chord with followers far and wide – and his work has much to offer today..

Philip Marsden January 28, 2021

portraits

Joseph Galloway – the forgotten Founding Father

Was the revolution that created the United States of America inevitable? The life of Joseph Galloway shows what might have been.

Graham Stewart January 19, 2021