Was Hans Christian Andersen really as pure as biographers make out?
Was Hans Christian Andersen really as pure – and boring – as biographers make out? Director Robert Lepage thought so, until he discovered the fairytale writer’s diary entries, and his … Continue reading
Scurrilous manuscript that could have undone John Donne discovered
Ostensibly a library catalogue in Latin, poet’s early work is in fact a string of smutty jokes about contemporary figures in febrile years before the gunpowder plot The keeper of … Continue reading
Gunpowder plots: how Guy Fawkes ignited an explosive literary legacy
Remember, remember … from Shakespeare to James Shapiro to the website that deals in political scandal, the name of Guy Fawkes is literary dynamite Smouldering … Tom Cullen in the … Continue reading
Lessons in the art of living
It is impossible to read Cyril Connolly for long without engaging with his passionate personality. William Boyd, a fan since boyhood, pays tribute to a great yet dangerous role model … Continue reading
Most authors break through in middle-age
Philip Pullman, Alexander McCall Smith and George Eliot didn’t make a dent on the publishing world until their 50s Alexander McCall Smith, who was 50 when he published his first … Continue reading
Six novelists who didn’t publish until they were 40
You don’t have to be a wunderkid to write an impressive debut novel Author Renee Knight says “doors are opening everywhere” now that she’s 50 Photo: Andrew Crowley By Olivia Goldhill … Continue reading
Alice in Wonderland – what does it all mean?
After 150 years, the search for the meaning behind Alice’s fantastical excursions has provoked many elaborate theories. Here are five of the most popular ‘Sometimes a bottle is just a … Continue reading
“Unrequited love is the cruellest experience inflicted by people not actually enemies. Dowson was demeaned and humiliated”
“Unrequited love is the cruellest experience inflicted by people not actually enemies. Dowson was demeaned and humiliated, particularly as he recognised deficiencies in Adelaide—and his friends were ever ready to … Continue reading
“The perfect self-possession he sought through art entailed a vow of chastity as well as poverty”
“The perfect self-possession he sought through art entailed a vow of chastity as well as poverty, or so it seemed, for in proposing to fortify himself against life, he could … Continue reading
Masturbation: literature’s last taboo
Granta’s new issue dedicated to sex reminds us that only the sin of Onan really retains the power to shock readers Shelf abuse … Karen Black and Richard Benjamin in … Continue reading
![The Pleasure Lounge is still closed 10 days after the police raids [now a Chinese massage place called White Lily Spa]](https://kingslandrogue.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/woman-stands-in-the-entrance-of-the-white-lily-spa-and-massage-parlor-ftj993.jpg?w=40&h=40&crop=1){kind=small}
Serpent's Egg 
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