Category Archives: Culture

Tsitsi Dangarembga’s ‘Nervous Conditions’.

Posted on May 3, 2020 by

The personal is political, and this wonderful book is both entirely personal and deeply political. Nervous Conditions (1988) is the story of Tambudzai, a young woman growing up in rural Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia) in the late 1960’s, told … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In praise of lightness – Calvino’s Leggerezza.

Posted on March 29, 2020 by

The Italian writer, Italo Calvino, was invited to give the Charles Eliot Norton lectures at Harvard University in 1985 but died before he was able to deliver them. Luckily, we have the text of 5 of these 6 planned lectures … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The mighty pencil

Posted on November 2, 2019 by

The mighty pencil It’s just a pencil Making a mark in a specific place On a specific piece of paper On a specific day. It only takes a second or two, No time at all. Such a simple thing. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Poetry, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Unsheltered’ by Barbara Kingsolver

Posted on August 11, 2019 by

Barbara Kingsolver’s novels are always fascinating and rewarding and her latest, Unsheltered (2019) is no exception. We follow two stories over a hundred years apart and set in the same location; Vineland, New Jersey, a town originally established as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘The Overstory’ by Richard Powers.

Posted on March 10, 2019 by

Richard Powers is an extraordinary writer. If you’ve not yet discovered his novels, I strongly recommend them. He tackles big ideas which concern all of us while at the same time telling compelling stories about complex and conflicted characters who … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Fiction, Reviews, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Familiale (Jacques Prévert)

Posted on March 10, 2019 by

The mother is knitting The son is fighting She thinks it quite natural the mother And the father what is he doing the father? He’s doing business His wife is knitting His son is fighting He’s doing business He thinks … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Poetry | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

My islands – by Line Mariani Playfair

Posted on March 11, 2018 by

I have always had a strong affinity for atlases and islands. Whether a single volcanic rock or one likely to fragment or disappear underwater, each one seems to be calling me, speaking to my imagination. I was fascinated by Thor … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Guest blogs, History | Tagged , , | 1 Comment