Reflections on books and the arts from the New Statesman culture desk
The critics' verdicts on David Remnick's Obama biography, David Mitchell and Helen Simpson.
"Remnick's book is not impartial", writes Robert Harris in the Times, "The editor of The New Yorker, [Remnick] is overwhelmingly sympathetic to his subject. But then, in the context of the wider story of the black struggle for equality in America, how could he not be?"
Gwen Ifill, writing for the read more
The prize committee issues Obama with a call to action
So, the weather didn't clear, but the mood in Oslo lifted distinctly yesterday evening: Barack Obama seems to have pulled off the remarkable trick of talking peace while standing firm to his commitments to war. And despite annoying the Norwegians at first by making his visit so peremptory -- "Everybody wants to visit the Peace Centre except Obama," snarked the newspaper Aftenposten -- he even seems to have warmed their ... read more
Obama's Nobel acceptance speech is a triumph
Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, given this afternoon in Oslo's City Hall, wasn't quite an epic, but it needed to be at least one of his best. And, on eflection, it probably was. The speech may have been shorn of any soaring rhetoric, but given both the controversy surrounding the award and the reality that the award-holder is the commander-in-chief of a country now engaged in two ... read more
I enjoyed the book, the first section which dealt with life in an oppressive pre First World War France was I thought better than the chapters involving the war. Although, the pieces dealiing with...
From John Dessauer, 13 February 21:40
Love Adele, however, besides some Country music, most new stuff is gar-baaage!
From John Cheese, 13 February 17:48
Sad. Shades of MJ. Always makes me wonder about the inner circles, not intervening due to a paycheck, ala MJ, Elvis, Anna Nicole Smith, etc??
From John Cheese, 12 February 22:19
Can the UK achieve it’s commitment to carbon reduction targets by 2020?
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