Michael Henderson on Radio SWIFT PRESS; RADIO 4; ...

You wouldn’t guess from the cover design—three songbirds silhouetted over swatches of picturesque Englishness—but Catherine Clarke’s A History of England in 25 Poems hits one of its sweet spots with a

MORNINGS at the Coffee Pod officially began the moment Primrose flipped the laminated sign from Sorry We’re Closed to the inviting We’re Open! Come On In! Unofficially, of course, they began a good sp

Review of reviews: Books

Catherine Clarke A History of England in 25 Poems400pp. Allen Lane. £25. Mark Forsyth Rhyme and ReasonA short history of poetry and people (forpeople who don’t usually read poetry)368pp. Allen & Unwin

“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” Antonio Gramsci’s words, written in prison near Bari almost 100 years ago, ring out to us now. The politi