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.
books
Worlds Apart. Review by Julia Pascal. This memoir is an astonishing chronicle of recent German history seen through the eyes of a girl born in the East and brought up in the West. Except that she was not brought up at all.
Quarantaine. Review by Barbara Lewis. Flanders in its golden age produced the painters Van Eyck and Memling. Around six centuries on, the work of Belgian conceptual artist Honoré δ’O, at first sight bears no relation to his aesthetic forebears.
Poetry review – THE FIELD IN WINTER: Jean Atkin offers a few well-chosen words of praise for David Clarke’s latest collection
Poetry review – TO 2040: Roger Caldwell considers the sometimes-enigmatic poetry of Jorie Graham
Poetry review – TURN UP THE HEAT: Charles Rammelkamp explores a new collection by Ruth Danon
Poetry reviews – THE BIRD ROOM and THE CINEPHILE POEMS: Louise Warren reviews new collections by Dawn Gorman and Alan Price
Poetry review – BEYOND THE GATE: Alex Josephy reviews a collection by Clare Best which skillfully tackles difficult issues
Poetry review – DYNAMO: Mat Riches is drawn into an intriguing and imaginative world by the poems of Luke Samuel Yates
Poetry review – THE PRETENCE OF AN UNDERSTANDING: Thomas Ovans enjoys the sense of optimism in a first pamphlet collection by Beth Davies
TABULA RASA: Merryn Williams reviews a new anthology of women’s poetry from Linen Press
Poetry review – A HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC: Rosie Johnston is impressed by August Kleinzahler’s skill at conveying the experience of listening to music
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • books, poetry reviews, year 2026 • Tags: books, poetry, Rosie Johnston