Connected Worlds of Bruges. Review by Barbara Lewis. As part of the constant flow of luminaries in and out of the cultural and commercial hub of 16th-century Bruges, Henry VIII sent Thomas More there in 1515 as part of a diplomatic mission to settle trade and financial disputes. His visit to Flanders was also when More began his classic work “Utopia”.
history
Metamorphoses. Review by Barbara Lewis. The final word of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” is “vivam”: I shall live. It was prophetic. More than any other poet, Ovid lives on as a muse to fine artists to this day.
Poetry review – SONG OF THE YELLOW ASTERS Charles Rammelkamp reviews a moving and important posthumous collection by Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger, translated from the German by Carlie Hoffman
Poetry review – FROM THE EAST: Peter Ualrig Kennedy is impressed by the clever cadences of John Greening’s poetry in this volume
Teatro Antica di Taormina. Review by Barbara Lewis. For more than two millennia, Taormina on Sicily’s eastern coast has laid claim to what you could say is the world’s most dramatic theatre in terms of its natural setting between Mount Etna and the sparkling Ionian Sea.
Poetry review – LANDSCAPE WITH MINES: Peter Ualrig Kennedy is moved by the strength and immediacy of Anna Bowles’ poetry in this impressive pamphlet.
Poetry review – CONSTRUCTING A WITCH: Nick Cooke is impressed by Helen Ivory’s energetic and zealously defiant poems
Unseen Photography from the 19th Century. Review by Barbara Lewis. Belgium, which declared independence in 1830, became a forerunner in photographic identification and is home to the oldest preserved mugshots, dating from 1843. As well as using photography to catch criminals, Belgium led the way in putting the technique to arguably criminal uses, including pornography and the wider abuse of power, which sadly finds an echo in today’s AI image manipulation.
Poetry review – BRIDGING TIME 1944-2024: Thomas Ovans is moved and intrigued by Patricia Townsend’s sonnet sequence incorporating and responding to wartime letters from her father.
A PHYSICAL EDUCATION: John Lucas considers Jonathan Taylor’s perceptive and accessible discussion of the causes and consequences of authorised cruelty in schools and beyond
Poetry review – IMPERFECT BEGINNINGS: Anne Ryland is touched by the powerful and painful poetry in this collection by Viv Fogel
Poetry review – THE ALDERBANK WADE: Nick Cooke considers a Civil War ‘novel in verse’ by Alan Morrison
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • added recently on London Grip, books, history, poetry reviews, politics, year 2026 • Tags: books, history, Nick Cooke, poetry, politics