The Stuarts are one of our most glamorous, fascinating and misunderstood ruling dynasties. Among the many important legacies of the century or so during which they ruled Britain and Ireland are the buildings they inhabited, embellished and built, as well as the decorative schemes and art collections they commissioned, acquired and lived alongside. This complex […]
Published in 1598, John Stow’s Survey of London was the first attempt to provide a full-scale history of what he described as ‘the chiefe and principall citie of the land’. Stow showed humility in acknowledging that such a subject called ‘for the pen of some excellent Artisen’ and deprecating the ‘playne manner’ in which he […]
‘The most significant volume on synagogue architecture and design to date,’ runs the dust jacket blurb, throwing down a challenge that no reviewer worth her salt could resist. This is a lavish book, in large format, printed on thick, glossy paper and packed with colour photographs. The images come from many sources and some of […]
At 11am on Easter Sunday 1950, Michel Mourre, a disaffected and angry young would-be artist, stepped forward towards the altar at Notre-Dame as High Mass was about to begin. He was disguised as a Dominican friar. His plan was to walk up to the microphone and read a prepared text. As well as the massive […]
The house in the west of Ireland where I spend half my year has no conventional address, although, like every other house in Ireland, it does now have a seven-digit Eircode, the equivalent of a British postcode. But Eircodes were only introduced in 2014 and in my part of Ireland at least, they seem to […]
The theme of this collection – houses and homes of all kinds and our emotional and intellectual bonds with them – has taken on a grim topicality over the last few weeks, as millions of people across the world suddenly find themselves enclosed in dwellings to which they seldom give much contemplative time, beyond wondering whether now might be the moment to have the boiler overhauled. For those of us who usually work from home – which includes most writers – the daily routine has barely changed at all. How odd to hear our friends fret and fuss about a way of life that suits us so well, most of the time. Lives of Houses concentrates mainly on writers and the structures in which they have lived and worked. There are contributions on a few other creative professions, including
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Knowledge of Sufism increased markedly with the publication in 1964 of The Sufis, by Idries Shah. Nowadays his writings, much like his father’s, are dismissed for their Orientalism and inaccuracy.
@fitzmorrissey investigates who the Shahs really were.
Fitzroy Morrissey - Sufism Goes West
Fitzroy Morrissey: Sufism Goes West - Empire’s Son, Empire’s Orphan: The Fantastical Lives of Ikbal and Idries Shah by Nile Green
literaryreview.co.uk
Rats have plagued cities for centuries. But in Baltimore, researchers alighted on one surprising solution to the problem of rat infestation: more rats.
@WillWiles looks at what lessons can be learned from rat ecosystems – for both rats and humans.
Will Wiles - Puss Gets the Boot
Will Wiles: Puss Gets the Boot - Rat City: Overcrowding and Urban Derangement in the Rodent Universes of John B ...
literaryreview.co.uk
Twisters features destructive tempests and blockbuster action sequences.
@JonathanRomney asks what the real danger is in Lee Isaac Chung's disaster movie.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/eyes-of-the-storm