The Marquedse Pombal was without doubt one of the most important figures of the eighteenth century. As a mere minister, he set out to reform Portugal in a way only achieved elsewhere by powerful monarchs such as Joseph II of Austria or Frederick the Great of Prussia. He has been called the Portuguese Colbert, but […]
If Charles Powell had been marginally more imaginative and a bit less insular he would have invited Günter Grass to the notorious Chequers teach-in on Germany. True, it would have meant abandoning foolish fifth-form prejudices and avoiding banal generalities on German ‘character’, but the Prime Minister might have found it an instructive lesson in history […]
Here are the opening words of Anthony Howard’s introduction to the condensed version of The Crossman Diaries, published in 1979: ‘Dick Crossman was one of those meteors that occasionally lighten the British political firmament … who fleetingly bring a glow to the normally grey and dingy skies of British politics.’ And here are the opening […]
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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