It would have felt good
A persistent question when I read or think about the past, is 'how did they feel?'Â Â What was the tint...
Rising like a damp-stain
In addition to the infiltration of Christianity, seeping into Hellenic culture, as this historian memorably puts it, 'like a damp-stain',...
Hysteria-edged frieze
Simon Winder is a particularly gifted triologist, with both the books I've read yielding dozens of superbly original phrases, exuberant,...
Change whispers
Although this isn't universally true, I liked the idea that great changes can begin with the whispers of a few...
Drizzle-washed hamlet
Winder captures the moment when galleons, packed to the rafters with silver from the newly discovered and increasingly exploited south...
An empire of leftovers
Simon Winder has a politically incorrect style of presenting history, which makes it a refreshing, thought-provoking read. I loved his...
Lavender-flavoured comfits
Winder's witty and summary dismissal of the less interesting Haydn symphonies, cranked out for aristo-soirées. And isn't that a marvelous...
A sense of happiness in the light of spring
What a beautiful corrective lens for the 'nasty, short and brutish' view of distant human lives. I did not realise...
To go or not to go
The Hungarian poet György Faludy weighs up whether to stay in Hungary or to leave at the start of the...
Podcast review – Adam Nicolson’s The Mighty Dead
Listening time: 8 minutes.
Enjoy this celebration of a favourite book by a favourite author about a favourite...
They had dreams too
One of the most elusive aspects of history, and perhaps insurmountably so, concerns what people felt, thought, and dreamed. Yet...
Europe as clammy climate
Europe’s emerging role in the 18th century signalled like a clammy change in climate... And if you think he gives...
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