Sophie scholl 1921–43

Around 15 years ago, together with two colleagues, I was compiling and translating an anthology that was eventually published as The Penguin Book of Russian Poetry. We were eager to include previously

‘I felt that I should like to kiss the hands that had awakened a new world of music for me.’ The year was 1888, the occasion was the Paris debut of a 27-year-old pianist named Ignacy Jan Paderewski. A

“ Light-hearted banditry”, “ruthless pirating”, a “phantom army” – it’s fair to say that the Special Air Service (SAS) didn’t always attract the most complimentary headlines. In the white heat of the

When World War Two broke out, conscription came into force for all males aged between 18 and 41. From December 1941, 17 million women aged 19-30 were also conscripted into the forces or for war work.

Leigh Lawson has embraced acting and poetry with the same determination that sustained Marie Lloyd, the music-hall queen whose memorabilia he collects, as Carla Passino discovers

Tucked away in the City of London, a short walk north of St Paul’s Cathedral, lies a curious, oddly-shaped, leafy little sanctuary. Opened in 1880, Postman’s Park is named for the workers at the nearb