Inspired by Thomas Mann’s 1924 novel The Magic Mountain, which explores various philosophical ideas and the nature of European society in the run-up to the First World War, The Empusium is Olga Tokarczuk’s sly, clever and erudite response – a health resort horror story in which the true horrors are the misogynistic views of men, […]
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk (tr. Antonia Lloyd-Jones)
Born February 16, 1838, Henry Adams transformed historical writing into reflective art. In The Education of Henry Adams, he fused philosophy, autobiography, and analysis, proving that English nonfiction could think deeply while sounding elegant. His prose reshaped how history narrates consciousness, modernity, and the intellectual evolution of the self.
Birth of Henry Adams (1838–1918) – The Historian Who Turned Thought into Style
“It’s kinda like football. All you gotta do is get through dat gimlet.”I thought, it’s gauntlet, you ignorant shit. Then I started running.They tried to stop me, with their arms, their legs, with kicks and punches,but they didn’t tackle me or stand in my way. When I broke through andstood panting on the grass, I […]
Small Change
A wonderful magical store of my dear Paris. You have come here I am sure one time or another, we all have. I came here way back in my first encounter with Paris in 1972,and been back ever since. The Le Bon Marché is a department store located in a quadrilateral bordered by Rue de Sèvres, Rue de […]
The Le Bon Marché dept store of Paris !!!
This book is a unique scrapbook-style biography of Gustave Flaubert, narrated by a retired doctor, exploring his life, work, and the mystery surrounding his wife’s death through various creative formats.
Book Review : Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes
The U.S. philosopher and psychoanalyst, Jonathan Lear, saw human beings as restless animals, whose defining trait was the uncontainable nature of their desire. No utopia that we can imagine will ever fully satisfy us – we will always want more. Lear’s interest in our irrepressible urge to transcend ourselves was already apparent in the first […]
Lear on Freud: the Uncontainable Nature of Desire
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
penwithlit