‘1997’ Explores Laying the Groundwork for Brexit and Beyond
Richard Power Sayeed's fascinating look at the optimism of New Labour and Cool Britannia in 1997, and the subsequent agony which followed.
John Burns
John is a writer, editor, and teacher originally from Nottingham.
Life Atop a Highly Sought After Piece of Real Estate: ‘Iran: A Modern History’
Professor Abbas Amanat shines the light of reason and rationality upon this greatly misunderstood nation.
If the Aim of Literature Is to Spark Debate, Philip Roth Has Succeeded
This sprawling collection of Philip Roth's nonfiction is often insightful, sometimes fascinating, and occasionally overlong.
A Clash of Hip-Hop Legend, Pop-Culture Philosophizing, and one Incredible Story
What is the true value of music? Cyrus Bozorgmehr considers this question in his wild retelling of the story of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin; the Wu-Tang Clan's single-copy album project.
‘The Big Red Book of Modern Chinese Literature’ Opens Doors Hitherto Closed to Us
Yunte Huang grapples with some monumental subject matter, and the results are spellbinding.
‘Brexit and the British’ Examines the Emotional State of a Divided Union
With tempers frayed and friendships tested following the Brexit referendum, it's easy to lose sight of what it means to be British at all.
‘T2 Trainspotting’ Is Just ‘Porno’ Repackaged
Irvine Welsh’s pacey, gritty, but often daft, follow-up to Trainspotting receives another printing run, but to what purpose?
‘The Story of 90 Coins’ Tackles Imperfect Romance
Michael Wong’s critically-acclaimed short film debut turns on the charm and leaves us with a familiar question about relationships.
Through The Eyes of Children: The Politics of Isolation in Shane Meadows’ Two Coming-of-Age Films
This Is England and A Room for Romeo Brass compassionately articulate the theme of accelerated childhood that pervades so much of Meadows’ work.