Byron’s war on tranquillity
A new biography reveals how the poet’s life of extremes was echoed by the hyperactive irony of his work.
ByRowan Williams is former Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012, and a contributing writer to the New Statesman.
A new biography reveals how the poet’s life of extremes was echoed by the hyperactive irony of his work.
By Rowan WilliamsThe playwright reflected the prejudices of his age, but he also questioned and undermined them.
By Rowan WilliamsHow do we reconcile our capacity for good and evil? Humanist thinking does not have all the answers.
By Rowan WilliamsA new history of the 17th century reminds us how bitter ideological conflicts have shaped our democracy.
By Rowan WilliamsImmigration presents us with a moral and political quandary. Can two books help us decide what to do?
By Rowan WilliamsHis life was blighted by poverty, but his poetry made exhilarating connections between sex, faith and death.
By Rowan WilliamsA new poem by the Russian poet Larissa Miller, translated by Rowan Williams, on the first anniversary of the…
By Rowan Williams and Larissa MillerThe clash between Caesar and Cato offers lessons for today, but also reveals the gulf between modern and classical…
By Rowan WilliamsIn reviving local and popular musical traditions, the composer found haunting new expressions of Englishness.
By Rowan Williams