Stories and literature
History of ideas
idea
Ancient Indian texts reveal the liberating power of metaphysics
Indian metaphysics presented a philosophical route to a higher level of existence beyond limits of space and time
by Jessica Frazier
Stories and literature
idea
The plague novel you need to read is by Bachmann, not Camus
In Ingeborg Bachmann’s Malina, the plague isn’t a biological virus, it doesn’t cause lockdowns, but it is killing us
by Lyndsey Stonebridge
Stories and literature
guide
How to gain more from your reading
There’s more to words than meets the eye. Deepen your appreciation of literature through the art of slow, attentive reading
by Robert DiYanni
Traditional arts
film
A joyously animated myth retells why painting is prayer to India’s Bhil people
A film by Nina Sabnani and Sher Singh Bhil
Stories and literature
idea
Reading books is not just a pleasure: it helps our minds to heal
Through my own struggles and in teaching bibliotherapy to students, I know that books can help to heal minds and hearts
by Peter Leyland
Thinking and intelligence
idea
How conspiracy theories bypass people’s rationality
Prior research has focused on the negative reasons people are drawn to conspiracies, but there’s another side to the story
by Jan-Willem van Prooijen
Stories and literature
guide
How to plan your novel
Inspiration rarely comes as a mysterious visitation from the muse. Far better to learn the techniques and habits of the craft
by Jason Whittaker
Poetry
film
An English teacher asks his class: ‘What’s the opposite of a gun?’
Directed by Anna Samo and Lisa LaBracio
Stories and literature
idea
Selfish, grumpy and unkind? That’s my kind of woman
Misanthropic female novelists and their characters make me hopeful for a future in which we shrug off feminine perfection
by Ellena Savage
Spirituality and religion
idea
This is not the end. Apocalyptic comfort from ancient Iran
Faced with the collapse of their empire, Zoroastrians sought comfort in the apocalyptic – and their literature flourished
by Domenico Agostini & Samuel Thrope
Stories and literature
guide
How to nurture a personal library
An escape, a sanctuary, a place of pleasure, a memoir. Take these steps to ensure your library is just what you want it to be
by Freya Howarth
Poetry
film
Childhood collides with the adult world in this haunting Bukowski adaptation
A film by Jonathan Hodgson