My smallholdings
My grandfather inherited a Van Gogh and two Ingres sketches as a young man, and I count myself phenomenally lucky to have seen them in person. I usually don't think much of Van Gogh, but this canvas was one of the most intense things I have ever laid eyes on. He used to have an alleged Rubens sketch,…

The British Sitcom as institution
Shame on you, AV staff, for publicising Peep Show to such a wide audience. The show is a firm UK cult, and like its liquid counterpart tea, should not, under any circumstances, be consumed anywhere else. British humour differs from American in its subtlety, narcissism and…

Ellie, obviously I can't change what you think about something, but the reason for Mockingbird's success and enduring legacy is simple; the novel combines grand, sweeping themes into easily understandable characters and contexts for adolescents. Apart from this, it is also one of the easiest books to actually…