Rebecca Tamás begins her book “Strangers” by recalling the 17th century Levellers and their proto-communist calls for radical democracy and common ownership of land. Sean Sheehan She is drawn to their prescient awareness of the need to connect political awareness with ecological concerns, the human and the nonhuman. […]
Culture
From oddity to commodity
The depth of James Joyce’s writing provides source material for academics and culture vultures everywhere but while the number of books about Joyce are of oceanic proportions those worth staying on a bookshelf are disproportionately small by comparison. Sean Sheehan Andrew Gibson’s “Joyce’s revenge” and “The strong spirit” […]
News that stays news
All of China Mieville’s fiction is worth reading for its political, philosophical and cultural resonances, “the City & The City” and “Embassytown” are extraordinary. Sean Sheehan He is also a compelling writer of non-fiction and “A spectre, haunting”, a prequel of sorts to his earlier “October”, is a […]
Raphael at the National Gallery
The Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery is a humdinger. Paintings, prints and drawings from across Europe, the US, the UK and private collections, as well as the National Gallery’s own collection, are together in one place for the first time. Sean Sheehan The catalogue makes compelling reading […]
Rua dos Anjos: Secrecy and self-revelation
Renata’s intention to make a documentary film in which she would learn about the experience of sex-work led to challenging situations. Advertising free sex in exchange for a photograph got no takers; in contrast Maria and Renata did accept the challenge of revealing personal issues in a film, and audiences […]
















