APURBA CHATTERJEE explains how British artists in India used the “picturesque” to reshape colonial landscapes and celebrate imperial power
Mr Zelensky Goes To Washington
DENNIS BROE looks back over the strange story of the comic actor who played president of Ukraine, only to become president of Ukraine – and asks which of his many faces represents the real Mr Zelensky
PLAYING THE ROLE: Zelensky in the comedy series Servant of the People
PAUL DONOVAN welcomes a revival of Reginald Rose’s classic play that reminds us of the fundamental need for trials with juries
SIMON PARSONS applauds an exceptional performance of Wesker’s little-known play, by the same actor for whom it was written 45 years ago
ANDY HEDGECOCK and MARIA DUARTE review Late Fame, The Death of Robin Hood, Leviticus, and Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
ANGUS REID recommends a uniquely accomplished documentary collage that contemplates our relation to the natural world
GORDON PARSONS enjoys Kant’s ‘mind-boggling’ theory of human reality: that we create the reality we experience
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY has been called many things. To some he is a hero, valiant defender of a small nation against a mighty one, David to Putin’s Goliath, or a saviour, turning back an invasion by sheer willpower.
To others he is a stooge, playing at diplomacy while not actually knowing what he is doing or, worse yet, a puppet, with the US, Nato and Ukrainian oligarchs pulling his strings.
But, perhaps the more accurate characterisation of Zelensky is to take seriously what he is in actuality — an actor, one who has been called upon to play at least four roles.
Similar stories
Faced with crises in every direction, Volodymr Zelensky is rewriting his country’s complex history by paying homage to the founding fathers of Ukrainian ultra-nationalism and courting their modern heirs, writes KENNY COYLE
Andy Burnham offers unconditional support for Zelensky but no solutions to the underlying conflict between the Nato/EU bloc and Russia, says NICK WRIGHT
Poland’s anger over Ukraine’s celebration of the Nazi collaborationist UPA reflects more than historical grievance, says KENNY COYLE