Andrew Marvell at 400
March 31, 2021
The seventeenth-century poet, politician and prose satirist Andrew Marvell has been a large part of my life for the past 20 years. A short commemoration of that journey. … More Andrew Marvell at 400
Tag: Privacy
Review of Billy Hicks, ‘Connecting’, at the Chapel Playhouse, London
March 5, 2019
A review of Billy Hicks’s candid one-man play about the lonely experience of growing up in a new world of digital technology. … More Review of Billy Hicks, ‘Connecting’, at the Chapel Playhouse, London
Christopher Hill, Andrew Marvell, and the Dissenting Tradition
November 6, 2018
I owe much of my interest in the seventeenth century to the late historian, Christopher Hill (1912-2003). I went to see Justin Champion deliver an impassioned defence of Hill and his work at a memorial lecture in Newark. … More Christopher Hill, Andrew Marvell, and the Dissenting Tradition
Was Marvell a seventeenth-century ‘incel’?
June 6, 2018
The difficulties of dealing with involuntary celibacy, from desolation to misogyny, seem to haunt some of Andrew Marvell’s most famous lyric poems. … More Was Marvell a seventeenth-century ‘incel’?
A Little Life
May 13, 2018
Hanya Yanagihara’s enrapturing novel A Little Life (2015) finds astonishing depths in suffering and the efforts to make it tolerable. … More A Little Life
Learning a new language
March 10, 2018
I was reminded this week how nerve-wracking it can be getting to grips with a master’s, and why I have my supervisor to thank for it. … More Learning a new language
Would Marvell approve of Tinder? A response to Cosmopolitan
May 10, 2016
The seventeenth-century poet Andrew Marvell received a mention in a recent Cosmopolitan article about Tinder. Would he really have approved of it, as its author claims? … More Would Marvell approve of Tinder? A response to Cosmopolitan
Burning Bridges: A Twist of Character
November 20, 2015
I’ve recently started calling people out on their behaviour, and now find myself burning bridges where I had previously let them crumble. But having burnt no fewer than four in the past month, it’s becoming concerning and could be reflective of something else. … More Burning Bridges: A Twist of Character
WhatsApp, Facebook, and the Compromise of Digital Privacy
August 2, 2015
A case study into the world of digital privacy in Pakistan has an unfortunate crossover with a personal incident that has made me consider the consequences of this kind of thing much more closely. … More WhatsApp, Facebook, and the Compromise of Digital Privacy
Opening the Box of Private Art: Marvell & Maier
July 23, 2015
I recently came across the story of Vivian Maier, a nanny whose photography during the 1950s and 60s lay buried in boxes for decades. Her prints uncover the life and work of a remarkable woman who was a shrewd and silent observer of her age. … More Opening the Box of Private Art: Marvell & Maier
Writing Privacy 