- 7 min
On Finally Reading the Novel Written About Me Years Earlier
Search online for ‘revenge fiction’ and you’ll find examples of novels in which a desire for revenge drives the plot: The Count of Monte...
- 9 min
On Drag Going to Church
In recent years drag has gone mainstream. Actually, it’s bigger than that. Drag has become all-conquering, ubiquitous, the performance...
- 5 min
On Hip Slang
Amid the endless coverage of this year’s Glastonbury Festival I came across this enigmatic nugget from Time Out magazine: ‘Dermot O’Leary...
- 10 min
On Not Having a ‘True Self’
‘This above all: to thine own self be true.’ One of many lines from Shakespeare’s Hamlet that have become everyday English phrases. They...
- 9 min
On Weaponising Kindness
Kindness – I’ve long been a fan, even though its public image tended to be rather wet and doormatty. Kindness is being considerate; it’s...
- 3 min
On the Arrival of Cherry Blossom
Outside my new home cherry blossom has appeared. It has arrived in the past two days – unexpectedly, since the wind still carries a...
- 8 min
On Being Passionate (or Not)
The singer’s face is intense, flushed, contorted with emotion. It’s Saturday lunchtime in the centre of Kingston upon Thames, and she’s...
