Culture
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BBC predicts explosion of creativity and art
Could the virus spark an artistic renaissance? As lockdowns come into force and people around the world face lonely weeks ahead, the stage is set for a huge flowering of modern genius.
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We may not like who we are about to become
What do the classics teach us? As we enter the dark tunnel of the 2020 pandemic, we will face hard questions. Take comfort that some of our greatest writers have struggled with them before.
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‘Everyone suddenly burst out singing’
Could the virus help bring us together? Social distancing is the new normal as the pandemic takes over the world – but some people predict that, in other ways, we may become closer than ever.
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After 24 years…Spitting Image set to return
Is satire simply cruel? There is a long tradition of ridiculing the famous and powerful. But in an age of increased sensitivity, the return of TV’s Spitting Image might not be that welcome.
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Darth Vader needs therapy, psychiatrists say
Does Darth Vader have borderline personality disorder? An academic paper by psychiatric researchers argues that he shows clear symptoms. And that we could all learn a lot by studying them.
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Secrets of England’s greatest treasure trove
Should we all be neo-Saxons now? A new exhibition will highlight the dazzling artistic creations of the Anglo-Saxons and the lessons we can learn from their way of life, 1,400 years on.
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Eureka! Great novels really ARE good for us
Is literature better for you than self-help? New research suggests that traveling into the mind of another person is more helpful than studiously trying to understand our own thinking.
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No, a street lamp won’t give you the virus
Should conspiracy theories be banned? As the world continues to grapple with the threat of a coronavirus pandemic, troubling fake news about Covid-19 is spreading across the internet.
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Row explodes over Amazon Nazi-hunter show
Is it wrong to tell fictional stories about the Holocaust? A new TV show about vigilante justice has been accused of sensationalising the genocide of millions for entertainment purposes.
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Goodbye to tasty treats as Lent begins
Is giving things up a good idea? Today is the start of Lent, when Christians traditionally deprive themselves of something they enjoy. But the practice is common to other religions too.
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Free speech ‘in greatest peril since WW2’
Is free speech REALLY under threat? A new mass-membership organisation, launched yesterday, claims that one of society’s most important freedoms is facing its greatest challenge since 1945.
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Readers lose their heads for Tudor trilogy
Are stories truer than facts? The most anticipated novel of the year charts the rise and fall of the ruthless Thomas Cromwell, and takes readers to places where historians do not dare to go.
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Outrage over top author’s support for genocide
Can you separate a writer’s work from their political views? A furious attack just published in the Washington Post lambasts a Nobel Prize-winning author for defending war crimes in Bosnia.
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‘Posturing, self-indulgence and surreality’
Have the Oscars become unbearable? Last night, millions of people worldwide watched Hollywood’s biggest spectacle – but critics argue it is a self-congratulating waste of time and money.
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Johnson to go for hardline trade deal with EU
Is he denying reality? Today, Boris Johnson will make a fiery speech asserting the UK’s autonomy. But with British culture so merged with Europe’s, is he going against the grain of history?