STEVEN ANDREW is moved beyond words by a historical account of mining in Britain made from the words of the miners themselves
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Best of 2018: Books
by JOHN GREEN
CAILEAN MCBRIDE welcomes a refreshing and timely study of the way officialdom creates structures that exclude LGBT+ rights and humanity
The bard mourns the loss of comrades and troubadours, and looks for consolation with Black Country Jess
CHRIS MOSS relishes the painting and the life story of a self-taught working-class artist from Warrington
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by a star-studded adaptation of Ibsen’s play that is devoid of believable humanity
GORDON PARSONS is fascinated by a unique dream journal collected by a Jewish journalist in Nazi Berlin
Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade, Parthenope, Where Dragons Live and Thunderbolts* reviewed by MICHAL BONCZA and MARIA DUARTE
ONE of the most significant books on art to appear this year is Art for All: British Socially Committed Artists from the 1930s to the Cold War by Christine Lindey (Artery).
While I played a modest role in getting her book published, that shouldn’t disqualify me from recommending it because Lindey has rediscovered those socially committed artists of the period who produced a whole body of significant works but who have been ignored by mainstream writers and critics.
In clear and accessible language, she shows how art and politics are interrelated and how Britain’s class system has affected artistic production and exposure. A highly readable demonstration of erudite Marxist criticism, a valuable history and an aesthetic pleasure, it's beautifully designed with many illustrations.
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JOHN GREEN recommends a German comedy that celebrates the old GDR values of solidarity, community and a society not dominated by consumerism
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
Mountains of research show that hardcore material harms children, yet there are still no simple measures in place
Peter Mitchell's photography reveals a poetic relationship with Leeds
