The Latest Breaking News from Robert Graves

Usha Vance is a closed book – but her Goodreads account is surprisingly revealing

From Roman-era political potboilers to stories of Catholic priests struggling to impose their authority, Arwa Mahdawi wonders what the reading list of vice-president JD Vance’s wife could be trying to tell us

The Guardian - UK · Oct 21

Robert Harris returns to ancient Rome with Agrippa – a novel about an empire’s forgotten architect

Robert Harris has returned to Rome with his new novel, Agrippa. It’s a fictional autobiography of M. Vipsanius Agrippa, right-hand man of the Emperor Augustus, purportedly written in the days before Agrippa’s death at the age of 50 in 12BC.

The Conversation · Aug 24

Ben Markovits: ‘I used to think any book concerned with people falling in love can’t be very good’

The British-American author on arguing about Jane Austen, the joys of Jerome K Jerome, and revising his opinion of Philip Roth

The Guardian - UK · Feb 27

Sylvia Plath’s Tomato Soup Cake review – a writer’s place is not in the kitchen

A fun but often unpalatable collection of recipes by authors including Robert Graves, Norman Mailer and Beryl Bainbridge should come with a trigger warning. Anyone for Instant Mince or Dutch Onion Crisps?

The Guardian - UK · Oct 29, 2024

Best books about Greek mythology to learn the classic tales of ancient history

From immortalised classical epics to lesser-known myths

Evening Standard · Oct 12, 2024

The Paris Olympics of 100 years ago had shocking upsets and famous competitors – including poet Robert Graves

One hundred years ago, Paris held its second Olympic Games. Thanks to the film Chariots of Fire (1981), which dramatised the true story of two determined British sprinters, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, as they trained for the competition, Paris 1924 is one of the most famous of the pre-second…

The Conversation · Aug 6, 2024

This Mallorca village has become one of the most exclusive spots in the Balearics – yet retains its boho charm

Tucked between the mountains and sea, the village of Deia is a favourite of the rich and famous, yet Nicole Trilivas finds it still has its original artsy magnetism

The Independent UK · Jun 3, 2024

OPINION - Hail the return of I, Claudius, the BBC’s greatest-ever drama

Naturally, there will be smartypantses making fun of the make-up; the emperors’ hair will probably get a social media following of its own. Yet the re-showing by the BBC of its greatest-ever television series, I Claudius, later this month, should by rights be the broadcast sensation of the year.

Evening Standard · Aug 7, 2023

All the poets turned down for the laureate in 1968

Prominent poets of the era — including John Betjeman, WH Auden, and Philip Larkin — were disparaged, accused of being drunkards, snobs, communists, mentally unstable, or even creators of explicit content

Evening Standard · Jul 19, 2023

‘Lightweight’ Betjeman was initially overlooked for poet laureate

Newly released government files reveal bitter in-fighting over the prestigious literary appointment

Evening Standard · Jul 19, 2023