Open to the climbing sun
A lovely image conveying the age-old human yearning to be closer to God or heaven or some other source: a...
Particles of human life
This week, glad to share fine metaphors both written by journalists. Here The Economist pays a suitably eloquent and moving tribute...
The most miserable existence
Deprivation on the Danube, as viewed by a newly arrived governor during the Roman Empire, posted to a wine-less, olive-free...
An artesian well
Peter Brown writes ancient history with verve and colour, bringing to life an era which can sometimes be passed over...
Daft and marginal
I liked this description of a region being 'daft-and-marginal' before splitting in two, with one half somehow managing to rule...
History as burp
Possibly the best metaphor I have found for the tendency of history to resurface in surprising ways. I see this...
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...
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...
Expressing allegiance
Mandelstam seems to have seen something timeless in the curve of a horse’s neck in Armenia, and discerned a proud...
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',...
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...
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