Thomas Blaikie
Petal Power
By Any Other Name: A Cultural History of the Rose
By Simon Morley
Oneworld 294pp £25
In 2006 the BBC conducted a poll of viewers to find Britain’s favourite flower. The rose won hands down, taking 37 per cent of the vote. The nearest contender was the sweet pea, with 29 per cent, while the iris, lily and tulip were way behind. The rose is actually England’s national flower, though not many know this.
In the public garden near where I live in London, the ancient rose beds are in need of renovation. But the residents won’t hear of it. No amount of reassurance that the bushes will be replaced in kind makes any difference. The authorities don’t dare touch the roses.
What is it about roses? A garden might be full of tulips or magnolias, but a ‘magnolia garden’ would imply one mainly with magnolias. A rose garden, though, is something else altogether, a shrine to this one flower.
Is it because they are ubiquitous, being found originally in different
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
Twitter Feed
Of the siblings Gwen and Augustus John, it is Augustus who has commanded most attention from collectors and connoisseurs.
Was he really the finer artist, asks Tanya Harrod, or is it time Gwen emerged from her brother’s shadow?
Tanya Harrod - Cut from the Same Canvas
Tanya Harrod: Cut from the Same Canvas - Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John by Judith Mackrell
literaryreview.co.uk
As Apple has grown, one country above all has proved able to supply the skills and capacity it needs: China.
What compromises has Apple made in its pivot east? @carljackmiller investigates.
Carl Miller - Return of the Mac
Carl Miller: Return of the Mac - Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company by Patrick McGee
literaryreview.co.uk
We are saddened to hear of the death of Edmund White.
We've lifted the paywall on Richard Davenport-Hines's 2014 review of White's Paris memoir.
Richard Davenport-Hines - Scenes from a Literary Life
Richard Davenport-Hines: Scenes from a Literary Life - Inside a Pearl: My Years in Paris by Edmund White
literaryreview.co.uk