Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel about Napoleon’s invasion of Russia is certainly a book and a half. Renowned for being one of the longest ever written, my earliest memories are of buying a copy as a teenager and being determined to read it cover to cover. The ‘big read’ factor didn’t put me off, in fact […]
As we move into the early days of 2016 last year’s numerous international conflicts, natural disasters, health and development issues remain on the global conscience. The Fighting Extremes: From Ebola to Isis exhibition at the Imperial War Museum highlights the role of the British armed forces in this respect with displays reflecting the range and […]
The Serpentine Gallery’s winter season features the work of Michael Craig-Martin, his first solo London exhibition for 25 years. This 1981-2015 retrospective will prove an interesting sensory experience for visitors because even the gallery walls are colour-coded to match the paintings. Yes green and pink walls. Bring the sunglasses! Since his early career as mentor […]
The latest in the Star Wars saga is a welcome throw back to the barnstorming action of the Star Wars- Empire Strikes Back- Return Of The Jedi trilogy. Directed by J.J Abrams, whose science fiction CV includes Cloverfield and Star Trek, there was always that lingering question about whether he would be able to match […]
OK I’m not going to give out any spoilers but a musical is taking shape which promises to raise many a theatre roof starting with a certain venue in Upper Street, Islington come spring 2016. My interview with John Myatt, writer of Something, Something Lazarus took place at its packed concert preview at The King’s […]
National Short Story Day falls on the same day as the Winter Solstice, December 21st, so it was timely of short story anthology publisher Arachne Press to put the call out to Britain’s literature lovers for The Solstice Shorts Festival: Longest Night, a mix of short stories, poems and folk music. The solstice, as you […]
An open call for artists aged 18-35 from the UK and the Ukraine resulted in 10,000 entries of which 30 were shortlisted for this exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, South Kensington. It marks a collaboration with the Firtash Foundation and follows on from their Days of Ukraine in the UK Festival. The entries ranged from […]
The Enlightenment was a period of 17th and 18th century European history when mythology, faith and superstition were challenged for the first time by philosophers and thinkers driven by logic, science and empirical facts. It was a significant departure from the established order and included questioning the authority of church, monarchy and state. The Enlightenment […]
In the run-in to the festive season if you were looking for a Christmas evening with a difference, with that unique cultural edge, I have to inform you that you’ve just missed it! British-Bulgarian storytelling performance company A Spell In Time performed The Dreamwatcher, Winter Tales of Hidden Bulgaria to a packed audience at the […]
Fans of TinTin will love this new exhibition at Somerset House in Temple. Families with young kids will find the wallpaper style floor to ceiling length prints a welcome alternative to the heavier fare at other galleries and it’s a little like walking into a comic book. Created by Belgian illustrator Georges Remi, more commonly […]
Hillary Clinton Graffiti/Painting Shoreditch By Street Artist Pegasus
