Portraits

portraits

Antonio Greppi — architect of enlightened absolutism

Antonio Greppi took a leading role in the reform of taxation under the Habsburg monarchy. He changed the system from within, improving the lives of his fellow citizens.

Guido G. Beduschi April 13, 2023

portraits

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca – conquistador brawler turned defender of Indigenous American Rights

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was a hopeless conquistador but he became one of the most notable European advocates for Indigenous peoples.

Andrea Valentino March 16, 2023

portraits

Simon Leys — the cosmopolitan scholar who broke the rules of Sinology

The spiritedly rebellious work of the scholar and aesthete remains an invaluable guide to the politics of China half a century after he first challenged the bland orthodoxies of Si..

Michael Sheridan March 3, 2023

portraits

Irina Ratushinskaya — Soviet dissident who fought the good fight

The Odesa-born writer has valuable lessons to teach the twenty-first century: lessons about the value of freedom and the price required to establish and maintain it.

Elisabeth Braw February 13, 2023

portraits

Kon Satoshi — animator of unmatched talent

During the late 1990s to mid-2000s, when Kon Satoshi created all of his works, feature animation in Japan was mostly dominated by adaptations of manga, sequels of TV anime, or film..

Shiro Yoshioka February 2, 2023

portraits

Rudolf II: Habsburg hoarder, failed leader and Renaissance collector

The reclusive Habsburg ruler’s vast array of possessions occupied the fascinating and uncertain zone between collection and clutter.

Anna Parker January 19, 2023

portraits

Bertha Benz — the PR pioneer who introduced the world to the car

Tired of her husband's endless tinkering, Bertha Benz undertook the first long-distance journey in an automobile demonstrating its revolutionary potential.

Bryan Appleyard January 6, 2023

portraits

Alexander Leipunsky — the nuclear physicist who brought plutonium to the masses

Soviet nuclear physicist who survived the Stalin purges and the Nazis to pioneer liquid-metal fast breeder reactors in the USSR’s atomic programme.

Paul Josephson November 17, 2022

portraits

Iain Macleod — short-serving chancellor and lost Tory leader

Iain Macleod was an exceptional man and a uniquely gifted politician. He attracted a following among those who regarded themselves as left-of-centre Conservatives and had an especi..

Gerald Warner October 14, 2022