Mark Doty’s triumphal homecoming
A new collection from Doty, the living poet who has arguably done most to find a way of writing about gay urban life.
Culture
Ice tennis, eel-pulling, and Italian cat-headbutting: a history of forgotten sports
As a new book reminds us, sport is a useful barometer of moral and social progress.
Ukraine’s generation without protection
The talented young director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy is charting Ukraine’s turbulent recent history.
The lessons of online disgrace
Jon Ronson's new book shows that everyone is fair game.
Jenny Diski’s brave scepticism
Jenny Diski's essays, fiction and non-fiction break down the idea of genre itself.
The strange death of British satire
Satire today is dominated by a narrow elite. No longer a threat to authority, it is a means for the establishment to protect itself.
Mad Max and the function of cinematic dystopia
Dystopian films reflect the anxieties of their times; but the best ones sneak the message in through the back door.
Bodies and antibodies
A new book by Eula Biss blends the personal and the political to examine the issues surrounding immunisation.
Salò: The unseen movie
Pasolini’s shocking film, Salò, was banned in the UK for 25 years. But if we can’t laugh at it, we are missing the point.
Rock’n’roll and rebellion
A new book explores the places where popular culture is still a counter-culture.