Freelance writer and radio presenter
On February 12, 1809, Charles Darwin was born — a thinker who reshaped not only biology but the architecture of modern English prose. His writing proved that scientific language could be precise yet persuasive, cautious yet revolutionary, establishing a model of argument built on evidence, clarity, and intellectual humility.
Birth of Charles Darwin (1809–1882) – The Writer Who Taught Science How to Argue
One of the most interesting literary trends in recent years has been the success of various imprints specialising in reissues – lesser-known or neglected books given a new lease of life by publishers with a flair for curation. Virago Press and Persephone Books have been doing sterling work in this area for many years by […]
Some of My Favourite Books from NYRB Classics
Born February 11, 1917, Sidney Sheldon refined the architecture of the modern page-turner. His lean, cinematic prose prioritized speed, suspense, and clarity, shaping commercial English fiction worldwide. By perfecting cliffhangers and momentum-driven chapters, he engineered narrative as propulsion—storytelling calibrated for global readability and relentless anticipation.
Birth of Sidney Sheldon (1917–2007) – The Architect of Commercial Narrative Velocity
On February 10, 1840, Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, and English entered a distinctly Victorian register. Their union helped stabilize a language of respectability, domestic virtue, and institutional authority. Journalism, biography, and private correspondence adopted disciplined sincerity, shaping a standardized, morally weighted English for generations.
Marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (1840) – The Union That Anchored Victorian English
In former times painters painted houses. Today painters have to invent houses and the architects have to build after the paintings because there are no more beautiful houses.[1] Viennese artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) represents the ultimate artist-architect of fantasy architecture. An artist influenced by the decorative artistic history of Secessionism, Expressionism, and the Wiener […]
The Colourful Artist-Architect: Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000)
Born February 4, 1805, William Harrison Ainsworth turned English history into mass reading. Through serialized romances, spectacle, and vivid prose, he fused fact with folklore, teaching English to narrate the past as drama. His novels democratized historical storytelling, shaping how generations encountered history not as scholarship, but as shared imaginative experience.
Birth of William Harrison Ainsworth (1805–1882) – The Novelist Who Turned English History into Popular Narrative
penwithlit