‘maybe she’s an enemy of the people’

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

Maxim Gorky Reminiscences of Tolstoy, Chekhov and Andreyev Translated by Bryan Karetnyk 208pp. Fitzcarraldo Classics. Paperback. £14.99. Maxim Gorky was a dominant figure in Russian literature and pub

A Russia of trees and liberty and peace: ...

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

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

Dan Sperrin State of Ridicule A history of satire in English literature 816pp. Princeton University Press. £38 (US $45). In State of Ridicule: A history of satire in English literature, Dan Sperrin ha