Nigel Jones
Hot and Gold
The long period of turmoil that enveloped Europe in the wake of the fall of Rome was so devoid of recognisable written records that historians lazily dubbed it the ‘Dark Ages’. Modern archaeological discoveries, and a reassessment of the scanty written evidence that does survive from Europe’s big sleep, have, excitingly, enabled contemporary historians to confirm what the myths and the legends suggest: that the ‘barbarian’ cultures that succeeded Rome were richer, more complex and more ‘civilised’ than the Rome-worshippers allowed. And the Arthurian legends, it seems, were more than likely grounded in a thick mulch of verifiable fact.
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
'Reading Taylor’s book has also made me join a book club. I did not like the January book; I did enjoy drinking gin while saying why.'
@clamorousvoice explores the history of women readers.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/she-readers
'When the language starts functioning as a character in fiction, when it is there drawing attention to itself ... It’s not anything that anybody really takes seriously.'
Our interview with Anthony Burgess from 1983.
http://ow.ly/5u0y50yrjoO
'Sabotage became so prevalent that bankers even created their own terms – ‘asymmetric information’, ‘lack of financial literacy’, ‘the principal-agent dilemma’ – to describe how they might turn a dime from customers’ gullibility or ignorance.'
https://literaryreview.co.uk/master-criminals-of-the-universe