‘Perfectly phrased and quite as true’: Aphoristic Modernity, 1890–1950 (Conference, University of York, 4th July; CFP 1st May)

A one-day conference at the University of York aims to rehabilitate the miniscule literary genre of the aphorism, and for the first time showcase its complex development in the long period of Modernism. Keynote speakers include Dr Mark Sandy (Durham University) and Dr James Williams (University of York). For more information, see the conference website. ‘You cut life to...

A Tale of Two Professors, or the Unexpected John Carey

Growing from an ordinary background to become the emeritus Merton Professor of English at Oxford, John Carey has been at the forefront of Britain's literary establishment for decades. Michael Shallcross reports on his appearance at Durham Book Festival, to launch his memoir, The Unexpected Professor: An Oxford Life in Books. Having spent the week leading up to John...

More Than a Dogmatic Toby Jug? The Importance of G.K. Chesterton

G.K. Chesterton was a well-known if controversial writer in his own day, though he is perhaps less of a household name now. However, a recent BBC series based on his Father Brown stories has brought him back to popular attention. In this research conversation, Michael Shallcross explains why Chesterton deserves to be revived as an important...

Pot-Boiling Wonkery? Review of Andrew Adonis, Chris Mullin, and Alan Johnson at Durham Book Festival

Andrew Adonis, Chris Mullin, and Alan Johnson are three grandees of the New Labour generation. Michael Shallcross reviews their recent appearance at Durham Book Festival, where they were promoting three very different forms of memoir. Edward Short, the former Labour Deputy Leader who died last year, was said to have run the parliamentary party like...

New Podcast: When is Modernism?

In this podcast, part of our Literature, History, Culture series, the organisers of recent conferences on modernism discuss the difficulty of defining the period. Does the label "modernism" apply only to works published at a certain point in time? Or is modernism an aesthetic value that can apply more widely? Most people associate modernism in...