JENNY MITCHELL, poetry co-editor for the Morning Star, introduces her priorities, and her first selection
The fall from grace of an artist for all time
Considered one of the greatest painters of his era and beyond, Rembrandt van Rijn died in poverty. DENNIS BROE explains why
Nightwatch by Rembrandt van Rijn
HENRY BELL is sceptical of the notion that ‘progress’ is an ideology that the ruling class uses exclusively to camouflage appropriation
In search of political understanding, MATTHEW HAWKINS welcomes a critique of anti-semitism as codified by the Israeli state
BEN CHACKO welcomes a masterful analysis that puts class struggle back at the heart of our understanding of China’s revolution
JOHN GREEN is intrigued by the ethereal, ghostly quality of images of a London unobscured by the bustle of humanity
JENNY FARRELL relishes an outstanding Palestinian novel that immerses readers in the sensory reality of Gaza, then and now
AI-induced murder, last rites for the mob-dog, a gullible common herd, and an exemplary Christmas chiller
THIS year Rembrandt van Rijn is being feted throughout the Netherlands and throughout Europe in exhibitions marking the 350th anniversary of his death in 1669.
They celebrate not only his painting but also the ascendency of Dutch naval and trading power in the 17th century, with Amsterdam becoming the world’s largest port and Holland the empire that succeeded the Spanish and Portuguese.
Born in Leiden in 1606, Rembrandt became the most prominent — and one of the best paid — portrait painters of the Dutch merchant class that powered this empire.
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