Saturday, 22 August 2026
Friday, 21 August 2026
Thursday, 20 August 2026
BREAKING: Prince Harry and Meghan to return to live in the UK
Prince
Harry and Meghan ‘moving back to Britain this month’
Reports
say Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to relocate from US, with children to
start British school in September
Caroline
Davies and Nadeem Badshah
Thu 20
Aug 2026 08.32 BST
The Duke
and Duchess of Sussex are planning to return to live in Britain, six years
after leaving for the US, it is understood.
The
couple and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet,
five, are expected to relocate later in August to a non-royal residence.
The
property is believed to be outside London, and the children are enrolled to
start school in September, the Daily Telegraph and the Sun have reported.
King
Charles was reportedly informed on Sunday that his son and daughter-in-law
would return to Britain.
It comes
after the Sussexes, who have lived in California since 2020, had a reunion with
the king last month at Highgrove in Gloucestershire.
The king
is said to welcome the opportunity to see more of his family in a personal
capacity but there will be no change in their status as private individuals
after relinquishing their official working roles within the royal family.
The
couple will not be offered a “half-in half-out” option, it is understood, with
that having been firmly rejected by the late Queen Elizabeth II at the
so-called Sandringham summit in 2020, which thrashed out the terms of their
departure from the UK and resulted in them officially stepping down as senior
royals and no longer using their HRH titles.
There has
been no official comment from the Sussexes.
The
Prince and Princess of Wales are said to have also been informed of the
decision.
William
remains estranged from his brother after criticism by the couple aimed at him,
Catherine, Charles and Camilla since their departure from the UK.
Former
BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt suggested the couple’s return would have
left William, the future king, “apoplectic”.
“In the
long term, the return of the Sussexes to the UK opens up the prospect of two
rival courts, William’s and Harry’s. In the short term, Harry will be able to
deepen his rapprochement with his father. And his presence back home will make
it harder for his brother to duck a reconciliation,” Hunt told the PA news
agency.
“The
surprise return of Harry and Meghan is likely to have left William apoplectic.”
The
Sussexes are expected to retain their homes in Montecito, California, and
Portugal, where they went on holiday earlier this summer.
The duke
and duchess’s security arrangements have not been disclosed.
The
long-running issue over their security meant that Prince Harry did not bring
Meghan, 45, or their children to events in London last month, as had been
originally planned.
Prince
Harry, 41, has previously stressed he would not feel safe bringing his family
back to the UK without police protection.
The
Sussexes are not eligible to receive taxpayer-funded protection while in the
UK, other than when within royal residences.
A Home
Office spokesperson said on Wednesday night: “The UK government’s protective
security system is rigorous and proportionate.
“It is
our longstanding policy not to provide detailed information on those
arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect
individuals’ security.”
Decisions
on security for members of the royal family and other key public figures are
taken by the executive committee for the protection of royalty and public
figures, whose membership includes the Home Office, Metropolitan police and the
royal household, who work together to advise the independent chair in making
decisions, which are informed by expert risk assessments and in line with
government policy.
In May
2025, after losing a legal challenge over his security in the UK, the Duke of
Sussex said: “I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children
back to the UK at this point.”
In an
interview with the BBC after the ruling, Prince Harry said he “would love a
reconciliation” with the royal family. He said: “There have been so many
disagreements between myself and some of my family,” but that he had now
“forgiven” them.
“I would
love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point continuing to fight any
more, life is precious.”
Prince
Harry added that the dispute over his security had “always been the sticking
point”.
Asked
whether he had asked the king to intervene in the dispute over security, he
said: “I never asked him to intervene – I asked him to step out of the way and
let the experts do their jobs.”
In July,
the Duke of Sussex and six other co-claimants lost their privacy case against
the publishers of the Daily Mail in London. The claimants, who included Doreen
Lawrence and Elton John, sued Associated Newspapers Ltd over allegations of
unlawful information gathering. Their claims were dismissed in their entirety
by Mr Justice Nicklin.
Last year
the Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a fresh multi-year film and television
deal with Netflix, after media reports suggested poor viewing figures meant the
streaming company might not renew its contract with them.
Harry and
Meghan struck the original five-year deal in 2020, reportedly worth $100m
(£78m), which resulted in a number of projects, including the duchess’s
lifestyle series With Love, Meghan.
Not all
the couple’s forays into content creation have been commercially successful. In
2023, a $20m deal they had signed with Spotify to produce podcasts came to an
end after just 12 episodes.
A YouGov
poll in July found that only 22% of Britons saw Meghan in a positive light,
compared with 65% who hold an unfavourable opinion of the former actor, with
33% seeing Harry positively and 58% negatively.
The
education secretary, Lucy Powell, said she hoped the move would be “part of a
bigger reconciliation” for the royal family.
“I think
that the vast majority of your listeners will welcome that news and – they
obviously are not working royals any more – and want to come back to this
country,” she told LBC radio.
“I assume
because we do have great schools, great education, that’s why many people do
return to this country and choose this country to bring up their children in.
“And I
hope that this is all part of a bigger reconciliation for the family because
you know the royal family is very important to this country and to our
reputation around the world, and you know I for one think it’s great to have
Harry and Meghan and their family back here.”
Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Suedeheads and Skinheads at The Ivy Shop
REVIEW: JOHN SIMONS – A MODERNIST DOCUMENTARY
on June 13,
2018
https://www.modculture.co.uk/review-john-simons-a-modernist-documentary/
The man,
the legend and the clothes. A new DVD looks at the life and work of John
Simons, with the appropriate title of A Modernist. We obviously wanted to take
a look.
I remember
my first visit to the John Simons shop. I dragged my girlfriend (now wife) to a
corner of Covent Garden and into one of the few shops that wasn’t packed with
tourists or fashionistas.
The man
himself was behind the counter and could’t have been more helpful. After a bit
of browsing, I bagged a pair of Weejuns (and I still have that original bag)
and left knowing it wouldn’t be my last visit, despite living at the other end
of the country. It was a place like nowhere else then and now.
The shop
has moved since, as it has done in the past, but the legend and the clothes
remain. In fact, John Simons’ stock has never been higher.
It might
well go up a few notches after the release of this particular labour of love, a
documentary by Lee Cogswell, Mark Baxter and Jason Jules, looking at a man who
has survived in the fickle world of fashion for around six decades by simply
staying faithful to the timeless styles he loves.
Simons’
career is almost a timeline of modern culture, starting out at a time when
youth culture was really just beginning after the malaise of the post-war
years, working the windows of key retailers as a youth and was a result,
getting hands on with the American labels that were coming to the fore and onto
the shelves.
From
dressing windows to selling clothes, it seemed the obvious step, with Simons
talking about his first move to the markets with Clothesville, selling fashion
to the Mods in ’63 (pea coats, slim trousers and cord jackets for example),
moving onto the Ivy Shop in Richmond in 1964 and expanding the range to include
raincoats, Harringtons (yes, JS did give the jacket its name) and button-downs,
some made locally and sourced in the US.
The latter
is probably what made the John Simons ‘brand’ and something that still makes
him relevant to new generations today. John had the ‘eye’, heading to America
to pick out what he saw as the items that would work for UK customers and in
its earlier days, whether that was the mods, the skinheads, the suedeheads or
any any other sharply dressed youth or gent.
He curates
a range that has appealed to youth cults and over time, an older crowd who
still want that considered and timeless ivy look or those who want a slight
re-invention of the modernist look sported by the jazz icons of the 1950s.
Over time
some authentic vintage has made it to the shelves, as well as own brand goods
from the Apparel Company offshoot, designed to appeal to both younger
generations and more established customers. At the end of the day, John Simons
still sells a classic and standout look for all ages, whether that was from the
Squire Shop in Soho in ’67, Covent Garden a couple of decades later or the
Chiltern Street store of the modern era, which is now being run by John’s son
Paul.
If you want
some meat put on the bones of that story, you need this DVD.
Essentially
this is a tribute to John Simons and the concept he has created in the words of
both John Simons himself and some of his regular customers and for want of a
better word, his ‘fans’.
Those
people include the likes of Kevin Rowland and Paul Weller (both of whom have
taken the ivy look to the masses with their respective bands), along with
Suggs, Robert Elms, art expert Ronnie Archer Morgan, GQ’s Dylan Jones,
advertising guru Sir John Hegarty and clothing maker and retailer Sir Paul
Smith.
But not
just the big names, the DVD also has the input of fans and customers, including
some passionate words from John Wild (aka Bomber from the old Modculture
forums). Oh, and John Simons himself along with son Paul, the current manager.
All have
their own their own take on and memories of John Simons, whether that’s from
the Ivy Shop, Soho shopping at Squire or stumbling into the store in Covent
Garden in the ’80s, painting a picture of the shopping experience, the clothes
they picked up and the youth cults that kept the tills busy.
But what
really sells the DVD and in turn, John Simons itself, is the passion and the
enthusiasm for John Simons throughout. This is a DVD that will have you
re-evaluating your wardrobe, browsing the Simons website and checking the train
times for a day trip down.
If you have
any interest in mod, you’ll know that buzz of excitement you get when you find
that item of clothing, whether it’s the perfect button down, the jacket, or the
loafers. That must-have item regardless of how low your bank account is.
That’s the
kind of ‘buzz’ you get from this DVD. The mix of words, archive imagery and
modern-day ‘sweeps’ of the store racks really do showcase everything that is
great about the retailer and his philosophy. If you’ve looked at John Simons or
read about the clothes and haven’t quite ‘got’ what it’s all about, then this
is the documentary for you.
A wonderful
overview of a man who has been under the radar for too long. At least, for
those who aren’t in the know. One comment in the DVD suggested there should be
a statue of John for the work he’s done over the years. That might be a bit
extreme, as both the shop and this DVD are tribute enough to the man and his
passion.
Go buy it.
Tuesday, 18 August 2026
Rebel Threads : Clothing of the Bad, Beautiful & Misunderstood Hardback by Roger K. Burton VIDEO: - Mods X Rockers Brighton 1964
Rebel
Threads : Clothing of the Bad, Beautiful & Misunderstood Hardback
by Roger K.
Burton
“Featuring
over 1300 examples of rare vintage clothing, from the swing, counterculture and
blank generation eras, detailed photographs and factual stories of the clothes
origins, alongside many previously unseen fashion and film stills. The book
traces how these distinct street punk styles were originally put together and
worn by the predominant teenage sub-cultures that emerged between 1940 - 1980,
and set these kids apart from mainstream fashion. With 50 years’ experience
collecting vintage street fashion, costume designer, stylist and former mod,
the author, supplied original mod clothing for the 1978 cult film Quadrophenia,
before establishing the Contemporary Wardrobe Collection, to provide street
fashion for TV and Film. He went on to dress literally hundreds of influential
bands, from David Bowie to the Rolling Stones. The archive now exceeds some 20
thousand items and serves as a valuable resource for leading fashion and film
stylists, designers and important museums around the world. Rebel Threads is
prerequisite for all lovers of vintage clothing, collectors, fashion students,
designers, costumiers and anyone fascinated by the history of stree style.” ROGER
K. BURTON
Roger K.
Burton
With 50
years’ experience collecting vintage street fashion, costume designer, stylist
and former mod, the author, supplied original mod clothing for the 1978 cult
film Quadrophenia, before establishing the Contemporary Wardrobe Collection, to
provide street fashion for TV and Film. He went on to dress literally hundreds
of influential bands, from David Bowie to the Rolling Stones. The archive now
exceeds some 20 thousand items and serves as a valuable resource for leading
fashion and film stylists, designers and important museums around the world.
Monday, 17 August 2026
Edward and Wallis stay at Ricardo Espirito Santo house in Cascais, Portugal
During
the Second World War, despite his wife's Jewish ancestry and the considerable
support that BES had provided to numerous Jewish refugees that passed through
Lisbon, Espírito Santo came to be suspected by the British spy agency MI6 of
being sympathetic to the German side. With the German invasion of France, the
British Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII who, after his abdication,
had been living in Paris with his wife Wallis, the Duchess of Windsor, made his
way to Madrid. The couple were planning to move on to Lisbon as a means of
reaching London by boat or plane, although it was unclear whether Britain
wanted them back. Pursuing Portugal's policy of neutrality, Salazar was
concerned not to upset Adolf Hitler, but he also did not want to annoy Winston
Churchill. He arranged for the Duke and Duchess to stay with Espírito Santo at
his home in Cascais, rather than at a hotel in Lisbon, thus keeping the couple
out of view and away from German agents in Lisbon, who were aiming to persuade
them to go to Berlin. The Duke and Duchess stayed in Cascais for a month and
eventually left by ship on 1 August 1940, after the Duke had been appointed
Governor of the Bahamas. During the same period, Espirito Santo helped Maurice
de Rothschild and Baron de Rothschild to seek refuge in Portugal, receiving the
gratitude of both men.
Was Ricardo Espírito Santo a German Agent?
.jpeg)
While
historical research and wartime German diplomatic cables describe Portuguese
banker Ricardo Espírito Santo as a German "confidant" or
intermediary during the Duke of Windsor’s 1940 stay, historians debate whether
he was a formal, registered intelligence agent or a pragmatic, well-connected
host managing delicate wartime neutrality.
The
Context of the Visit
- The Arrival: In July 1940, the Duke of
Windsor (former King Edward VIII) and his wife Wallis Simpson fled
occupied France and arrived in neutral Portugal.
- The Hosting Arrangement: Portuguese dictator António de
Oliveira Salazar arranged for the couple to stay at Espírito Santo’s
seaside villa in Cascais rather than a public hotel in Lisbon to keep them
discreetly managed away from intense spy activity.
Debated
Allegations and Ties
- German Communications: Wartime telegrams from German
diplomats (such as Ambassador Oswald von Hoyningen-Huene) refer to
Espírito Santo as a contact or confidant through whom they attempted to
gauge or influence the Duke's political sympathies.
- Intelligence Viewpoints: British intelligence (MI6) and
modern historians examining declassified archives have alleged that the
banker facilitated communication for Nazi interests and acted as a
financial go-between, fitting into the wider German conspiracy known as
"Operation Willi".
- Alternative Perspectives: Other scholars emphasize that
Espírito Santo's actions closely mirrored Salazar’s official balancing act
of maintaining trade and diplomatic links with both the Allies and the
Axis, noting that the banker also aided Jewish and Allied refugees during
the same period
Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is a biography of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and Wallis, Duchess of Windsor by historical writer Andrew Lownie.
Traitor
King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is a biography of
Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and Wallis, Duchess of Windsor by historical
writer Andrew Lownie.
Content
The
former Edward VIII is alleged by Lownie to have been a Nazi sympathiser who
gave aid and comfort to his country’s enemies before and during the Second
World War. The book discusses his abdication which is portrayed as the first in
a series of misjudgments, with Edward and Wallis thereafter fixated on
regaining prominence. Their stay in Portugal in 1940 when they came to contact
with Nazi agents is also mentioned with Lownie challenging the notion that
Edward's sympathies with Nazi Germany were simply shared with the aristocracy
or Tory establishment as he suggests something more intentional. The author
elaborates how once their ambitions were not fulfilled, their lives devolved
into freeloading, snobbery and irrelevance.
Reception
In his
review in The Wall Street Journal, Dominic Green highlights Lownie's effort to
firmly portray Edward not as a hapless pawn but as someone who flirted
dangerously with Nazi sympathisers. The Times wrote that the book managed to
show Edward as "the trivial, dim and useless royal" that he was.
Marcus Field of The Standard stated that the book's central section is
dedicated to the "shady" activities of the Windsors during the war.
He also complimented Lownie on his ability to discuss financial details of the
couple, which he believed showed their greed, in addition to presenting old
narratives that he believed Lownie managed to make seem fresh. Rupert
Christiansen of The Telegraph gave the book three out of five and stated that
Lownie "rehashes a lot of silly tittle-tattle, presented uncritically and
even salaciously" and Edward "emerges as simply a weak, sterile and
pathetic character".
Sunday, 16 August 2026
The Cotswold Village Protesting Against Tourists
Bourton-on-the-Water
had enough of tourists
The primary
friction points driving the community to a breaking point include:
1. Severe
Infrastructure Strain
- Traffic Congestion: Residents compare the daily
gridlock on local roads to "living next to a busy motorway".
- Parking Shortages: Illegal and unmanaged parking
blocks residential access. A community survey found 92.6% of residents
believe traffic management is entirely ineffective.
- Crowded Spaces: The massive crowds leave
locals unable to access basic public spaces or walk safely through their
own village.
2. The
Rise of "Fast Tourism"
Local
officials have criticized a shift toward social
media-driven "TikTok tourists". Community leaders note that many
day-trippers arrive solely to shoot brief video content and take selfies
without engaging in the local heritage, culture, or spending money at
independent shops.
3. Safety
and Quality of Life
The
grass-roots group Bourton Residents' Voice organized a local survey
revealing that 90.8% of participants felt tourism had a net negative impact
on their quality of life. Organizers described the situation as
"lawless", pointing to incidents of littering on the village green
and verbal abuse toward residents trying to navigate the traffic.
The
Community Divide
While local
advocacy groups emphasize they are not completely anti-tourism, they are
demanding immediate policy intervention to establish a sustainable balance.
Local business networks recognize the tension but point out that many
businesses "absolutely" need visitor revenue to survive. Local
government councils are facing heavy pressure to introduce strict parking
limits, coach drop-off restrictions, and crowd control measures
Saturday, 15 August 2026
The Duke of Marlborough, Lady Spencer-Churchill & Philip Treacy | The Art of Living – Vintage Film
In this
England Special, Nathalie visits Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Sir Winston
Churchill and ancestral home of the Spencer-Churchill family, for an exclusive
private portrait of John Spencer-Churchill, the 11th Duke of Marlborough, in
his personal chambers. As a member of the same historic family, the Duke was a
distant relative of Britain’s legendary wartime prime minister.
She also
meets his daughter, Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, an acclaimed interior
designer known for bringing the elegance of the English country-house tradition
into contemporary homes. Nathalie visits her at her interior design shop, where
historic influences, fine fabrics and a distinctly British sense of comfort
come together.
The
journey continues at the Feathers Hotel in Oxfordshire, a historic retreat
close to Blenheim Palace, before Nathalie enters the fragrant and highly
refined world of a florist associated with the British Royal Household.
In
London, she meets Philip Treacy, the internationally celebrated milliner whose
sculptural and often daring creations have transformed hatmaking into an art
form. His extraordinary designs have been worn by members of the Royal Family,
leading fashion figures and some of the world’s most famous women.
A
portrait of British aristocracy, private heritage and refined interiors. It’s
an evocative journey into another era, shaped by remarkable people,
extraordinary places and the timeless worlds they inhabited.
Thursday, 13 August 2026
A unique encounter
 |
Out of curiosity, I include a photograph of my father in Ericeira in Portugal during a summer vacation, wearing a Pullover that can be mistaken for Cricket, but which was used to play Tennis. |
Something extraordinary happened. Over the years
my visits in Amsterdam to the Waterlooplein, the local version of the
"Marché aux puces", have become a frequent ritual in my daily life.
With the phenomenon of hyper-awareness of Vintage, this translated into a
galloping growth in prices and unfortunately associated with a loss of quality
and authenticity of a saturated market, the flea markets are the last
stronghold of trouvailles and unexpected surprises.
Over the years I have become a kind of curator
and keeper who recognizes, in the midst of the greatest chaos, the quality and
authenticity of pieces completely lost in oblivion and lost in a chaotic mix
stretching along the floor.
This cricket "Spencer" was found on the
ground and recognized by me as an authentic piece, and not as a reproduction and
"fashion" version of Ralph Lauren or Hillfiger.
This was confirmed by the name of the former cricketer
and owner of the "pullover" which was still clearly visible.
A few days ago, during a walk with a friend,
when I was wearing the "Cricket" jumper, I was approached by a Young
and Sporty Gentleman, clearly British, who asked me about the school associated
with this club that was represented by the emblem present on the chest of the
"pullover".
I told him the story of how the piece had been
saved from oblivion by my act of recognition and that the name of the
former owner was still mentioned on the Pullover.
Great was his astonishment and feeling of magical
surprise when he recognized the name as one of his former sports students. He amazed me with the photos still present in his cell phone of this young athlete in question. He was,
therefore, the Sports Teacher of this Private School. A pleasant atmosphere of
conversation was thus established.
This surprising coincidence and amazing encounter culminated in a joint photograph.
JEEVES / TWEEDLAND
Wednesday, 12 August 2026
A History of the Novel in Britain by Philip Hensher
Review
A History
of the Novel in Britain by Philip Hensher review – a masterpiece of criticism
This
joyous book takes readers on a literary adventure across 200 years of fiction,
from Defoe to Zadie Smith
Kathryn
Hughes
Wed 12
Aug 2026 07.00 BST
In his
opening paragraph, Philip Hensher declares that a novel not only “tells a good
story” but is a good story in itself. We could extend that neat formula to
include this book, which is not only a masterful account of fiction since 1719,
when Daniel Defoe set Robinson Crusoe down on his desert island, but is itself
a wonderful read. There is nothing dreary here; no sense of being back in the
seminar room taking notes. Instead it is 600 pages of deep pleasure, an excuse
to revisit old literary loves and be reminded of ones that have slipped from
view.
Hensher
is smart enough to know why his book works so well and vain enough to tell us.
The usual methodology for a survey is to assemble a roster of academics and
invite them to trot out a chapter on their specialism, whether that be “Thomas
Hardy” or “High Modernism”. The result is a series of silos, with little sense
of historical connection or intellectual unfolding. Hensher, by contrast, gives
us a joined-up account of creative call and response. Equally crucial to this
project’s success is Hensher’s own experience as a novelist. He brings a
practitioner’s informed eye to such questions as why some chapters in Dickens’s
Dombey and Son are in the present tense or how Henry James pulls off free
indirect speech in What Maisie Knew.
After
setting out the novel’s origin story, we are plunged into the inky churn of the
middle-18th century. Samuel Richardson writes Pamela in 1740, Henry Fielding
shoots back with his snarky parody, Shamela (1741), followed by the more
sustained inversion of Joseph Andrews (1742). Richardson, in turn infuriated by
the lack of moral purpose in Fielding’s Tom Jones (1749), storms back with The
History of Sir Charles Grandison (1754).
One of
the delights of Hensher’s capacious narrative is being alerted to authors and
books that never got their proper due
Hensher
is brilliant on the warring duo’s finances, giving us a forensic account of the
risk and reward of their different publishing models. Richardson was a printer
before he was an author and hung on to his own copyrights. This allowed him the
autonomy to shape the fledgling genre in ways that he wanted which, in the case
of Clarissa (1748), meant 1m words written entirely in epistolary form.
Fielding, no less lucky, had a patron and printer who supported him no matter
how eccentric his artistic choices.
Few
authors were so favoured. Jane Austen chose to sell Pride and Prejudice for a
flat fee to Thomas Egerton in 1812, having previously lost money on Sense and
Sensibility when she insisted on retaining copyright and paying for the
printing. Under the new arrangement, Egerton was under no obligation to spend
more than the minimum on production. When Pride and Prejudice eventually
appeared in 1813 it was in such tiny print and scrappy paper that disgruntled
readers decreed it “almost unintelligible”.
That sort
of thing can kill a career, but Austen went on to rise above it, even if it
took until the 1940s before the literary establishment caught up with her
glory. One of the delights of Hensher’s capacious narrative is being alerted to
authors and books that never got their proper due. Hannah More, usually written
off as a Sunday school prig, turns out to be “a beautiful and graceful writer”,
while Tobias Smollett, who generally gets dismissed these days as an unfunny
hack, is rehabilitated as an inventive craftsman with supreme control over
narrative voice. Arnold Bennett, characterised as a dreary bore thanks to
Virginia Woolf’s unkind take-down of 1924, is lovingly restored as the author
of the incomparable Old Wives Tale (1908), which “ought to be acknowledged
among the 20 greatest novels in English”.
If
Hensher is generous with plaudits, he is equally vigorous in his loathing. Ann
Radcliffe, author of the hugely popular and preposterously gothic The Mysteries
of Udolpho (1794) “was (and remains) a simply terrible writer”. DM Thomas, Booker nominated in 1981
for The White Hotel, is “patently
untalented”. And
poor David Lodge, who tried so hard with modish literary pastiche in Changing
Places (1975), is simply “not up to the task”.
Hensher
never falls into crankiness, but he is unafraid to point out home truths. Such
as the fact that so much of the pleased-with-itself “experimentalism” of the
1960 to 1980 period was merely a retread of things that had been done better
before. Tickled by the clever wheeze of having central characters with no name?
Fanny Burney was already doing that in 1814. Keen on using fragmentary collage
to signal modernity? That blustery old fogey Evelyn Waugh got their first with
Vile Bodies (1930). As for self-reflexivity, that process by which the novelist
comments on the process of writing a novel, you should go back to Fielding.
Hensher
doesn’t bring his account right up to date, preferring to stop in 2000 – at
Zadie Smith and her “wonderful ear for speech” – on the grounds that it is
impossible to form a proper critical judgment until plenty of time has passed.
It is a wise decision and a tactful one, underscoring the moral seriousness of
this masterpiece, quite aside from its buoyant joy. Reader, I could not put it
down.
A History of the Novel in Britain by Philip
Hensher
A History of the Novel in Britain by Philip
Hensher is a comprehensive literary study published by Pelican Books that maps
out the evolution of British fiction over a three-hundred-year span. Spanning
roughly 704 pages, the book explores the novel not just as an artistic medium
but as a commercial industry shaped by the dynamic interplay between authors,
publishers, and the reading public.
Key Themes and Scope
• Chronological
Range: The narrative traces the medium's lineage from its 18th-century pioneers
like Daniel Defoe up to the year 2000, concluding with Zadie Smith. Hensher
deliberately avoids evaluating contemporary post-2000 works, arguing that sound
critical judgment requires historical distance.
• Art
Meets Industry: The book analyzes the "evolutionary scramble" for
reader attention. It details how market demands drove technological shifts in
printing, book distribution, and stylistic writing techniques.
• Expanding
the Canon: Alongside legendary British authors, Hensher evaluates "once
famous" and "unfairly forgotten" novelists to present a broader,
more accurate history of British prose.
• Debunking
Modernity: Critics have noted Hensher's sharp observations dismantling the
uniqueness of mid-to-late 20th-century "experimental fiction". He
highlights that literary devices like unnamed protagonists, collage structures,
and self-reflexivity were executed centuries prior by writers like Fanny
Burney, Evelyn Waugh, and Henry Fielding.
Monday, 10 August 2026
Sunday, 9 August 2026
Saturday, 8 August 2026
Friday, 7 August 2026
Thursday, 6 August 2026
Ladies in Black
Ladies in
Black is a 2018 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford.[5]
Starring Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Julia Ormond, Ryan Corr and Shane
Jacobson, the film is based on the 1993 novel The Women in Black by Madeleine
St John, and tells the story of a group of department store employees in 1959
Sydney. The film was released on 20 September 2018.
Plot
Lisa is
hired as a new assistant at Goode's department store in Sydney during the 1959
Christmas season. She makes friends with Fay, who is initially wary of
immigrants; Patty, who seeks more attention from her husband; and Magda, an
immigrant from Slovenia who introduces her to her other European friends. Patty
buys a pink nightdress to get her the attention from her husband she seeks, but
he believes he has upset her with his attention and disappears for the season.
Magda invites Lisa and Fay to a New Year's Eve party at Magda's house and
introduces Fay to Rudi, a Hungarian immigrant who is looking for a wife. Lisa
is introduced to Michael, the son of Hungarian immigrants to Australia. A dress
Lisa wants to buy is marked down from 150 guineas to 75 guineas during the next
summer sale, then later to 50 guineas.
Patty's
husband returns and they reconcile when she explains she wants his attention,
and Patty soon becomes pregnant. Lisa gets honours on her school leaving exam
and applies for a scholarship at Sydney University after getting the approval
of her father. Rudi buys a new apartment and proposes to Fay in it. Lisa is
upset the dress she likes is no longer on display, but Magda has only hidden it
away now so it has been reduced to 35 guineas, which Lisa can now afford. She
buys the dress and wears it to a party celebrating her test scores. Magda says
she has picked out a location for a store where she will sell high-end fashion.
Magda asks Lisa what she will do after finishing her studies at Sydney
University and Lisa says she wants to be an actress, or a poet, or a novelist,
or maybe all three.
Cast
Julia
Ormond as Magda
Sepideh
Fallah as Rania
Angourie
Rice as Leslie 'Lisa' Miles
Rachael
Taylor as Fay Baines
Ryan Corr
as Rudi
Susie
Porter as Mrs. Miles
Shane
Jacobson as Mr. Miles
Noni
Hazlehurst as Miss Cartwright
Genevieve
Lemon as Mrs. Wentworth
Nicholas
Hammond as Mr. Ryder
Alison
McGirr as Patty Williams
Vincent
Perez as Stefan Szombathelyi
Kate
Miller-Heidke as Nightclub Singer
Jesse
Hyde as Michael
Luke
Pegler as Frank
Danny
Adcock as Doctor
Deborah
Kennedy as Myra's Mother
Production
Ladies in
Black was twenty years in the making, with writer-director Bruce Beresford
attached to the project. Beresford and novelist Madeleine St John, who wrote
the book of which the film is an adaptation, were university friends, and
Beresford had promised to one day adapt her novel into film since first reading
it around its original publication.[7] Ladies in Black is the film that almost
got away from Beresford and his friend and producer Sue Milliken, a film the
funding agencies kept rejecting. But the X-factor was the involvement of
Allanah Zitserman as co-producer. Zitserman's credentials include: producer of
three movies, including Russian Doll (2001) and the founder and director of
Dungog Film Festival in NSW's Hunter Region. "If it hadn't been for
Allanah's dynamism, we'd never have got the money" says Beresford.
"She was relentless."
In
October 2017, the cast was announced, with principal production commencing that
month in Sydney, Australia.
The
exterior of the fictional "Goode's" department was the former Mark
Foy's store, currently the Downing Centre.
Release
Box
office
Prior to
release, Ladies in Black was projected to have "a sizable opening weekend
and a long run sustained by word-of-mouth and repeat business."[13] On its
opening weekend, the film earned $1,865,134 in Australia, placing second behind
Johnny English Strikes Again.
Critical
response
Ladies in
Black received generally positive reviews from critics. On review aggregation
website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 33
reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critics consensus
reads: "Ladies in Black gleans socially relevant observations from
Australian history with entertaining flair, embroidering a tale that touches on
immigration and female empowerment with a fashionable pizazz [sic]."
Neil
Young of The Hollywood Reporter said of the film, "Ladies in Black quietly
but effectively points out the seldom-stressed positives of immigration and
integration, and thus deserves attention far beyond its own native
shores". Jake Wilson in The Sydney Morning Herald says the period details
"carry the authority of first-hand experience". Australian film critic David
Stratton, writing for The Australian, wrote "Ladies in Black may be seen
mistakenly as lightweight or slight; it isn't. It brims with subtext and nuance
and at the same time succeeds in being a thoroughly enjoyable
entertainment."
Accolades
Award Category Subject Result
AACTA
Awards
(8th) Best Film Sue
Milliken Nominated
Allanah
Zitserman Nominated
Best
Direction Bruce Beresford Nominated
Best
Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Sue
Milliken Nominated
Best
Actress Julia Ormond Nominated
Angourie
Rice Won
Best
Supporting Actress Noni Hazlehurst Nominated
Best
Cinematography Peter James Nominated
Best
Editing Mark Warner Nominated
Best
Original Music Score Christopher Gordon Won
Best
Costume Design Wendy Cork Won
Best Hair
and Makeup Anna Gray Won
Beth
Halsted Won
Jen
Lamphee Won
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