Frayed by sin
A surprising one, this, as sin is often presented, nowadays, as socially acceptable, even desirable 'vice' - something naughty-but-nice, essentially...
What is peace?
This is Saint-Exupéry's definition of peace, in which everything is in its place and friends can be reached, particularly striking...
Wise advice from a fool
Today, as well as being the 5th anniversary of WritingRedux, is also Shakespeare's birthday, one of the three reasons we...
From pantheon to palate
A piled up commentary of poets on poets: Heaney on Mandelstam on Dante. Osip Mandelstam (1891-1938), who died in uncertain...
As an apple fits a dumpling
A beautiful simile for something fitting perfectly into a circular space. In this case, the something is a someone, the...
The original fake news
'Fake news' is nothing but a new term for the age old curses of rumour or propaganda, so it's good...
Second hand books
Virginia Woolf's comment on second hand books is for all those of you who love the look and feel of...
Like a mouse
You can see the man sawing between his teeth, the high-speed tooth-pick darting in and out like a mouse in...
Leadership as multi-tasking
You get to steer the ship because you can handle multiple tasks at once. Here, John demonstrates his leadership skills:...
Language in orbit
A poet can provide the initial lift-off, but then the poem enters its own orbit and runs on its own...
Like a horse’s eye
A lively boy's eye view of travelling in a boat and looking through a porthole. Maxim Gorky (1868-1936) was a...
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