Freelance writer and radio presenter
Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations didn’t just shape economics—it transformed English. His vivid terms like invisible hand, laissez-faire, and division of labor embedded Enlightenment ideas into everyday speech. Today, his legacy lives on not just in markets, but in the very language we use to describe them.
Adam Smith (1723–1790) – Architect of Economic English
Visiting William Morris’s home, Kelmscott Manor, in high summer it is easy to see why he regarded it as ‘heaven on earth’. Just 3 miles from the town of Lechlade, it seems to be buried deep in the west Oxfordshire countryside. The Manor is only open 3 days a week (Thursday to Saturday) and has […]
Exploring the world of William Morris – Kelmscott Manor 1
I’ve just translated a couple of Cavafy’s poems, both on historical themes. The first one is a fictional tomb inscription for a young Alexandrian youth called Iasis; Iasis’s tomb Here lie I, Iasis, a youth of this great cityfamed for his beauty.Wise men admired me and also thoughtless,ordinary people. I’m equally glad for both of […]
Two poems of Cavafy’s
Back in May, Faber and Faber reissued Alexander Baron’s brilliant novel The Lowlife, the entertaining, picaresque story of an amiable Jewish charmer trying to get by on his wits in seedy post-war London. The book is a welcome addition to the excellent Faber Editions series, which aims to spotlight rediscovered gems from the publisher’s archive […]
London Novels – ten favourites from my shelves
The air hangs heavy in here, emotions swirl like ghosts, untouched and silent. As I enter this graveyard; a forgotten graveyard of gardens, these wilted plants stand solemn sentinel, bringing back memories long buried. Some flowers ache with broken promises, their petals curled like lips that never spoke the truth. Others hang heavy with bonds […]
A Garden Of Wilted Flowers
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