Charlie Connelly
28 October 2021
Jenny Lind: The very modern career of a 19th century superstar
The "Swedish Nightingale" soared to fame, burned brightly, but then burned out retiring in her early thirties.
Read the full article28 October 2021
The Wolf Age: Bloodsoaked Britain’s age of terror
CHARLIE CONNELLY on a page-turner which brings to vivid, often gruesome, life one of the most violent periods in the history of Britain
Read the full article21 October 2021
Paul Cézanne: The self-doubt of an artistic genius
His work stood out amongst Post-Impressionism, but the artist was still crippled by a lack of self-belief
Read the full article21 October 2021
The forgotten proto-feminist who ripped up the rulebook
The little-known writer was responsible for one of literature's truly great landmarks.
Read the full article14 October 2021
Micheline Ostermeyer: The woman who combined sporting and musical brilliance
From the Olympic field to Parisian concert calls, Micheline Ostermeyer never failed to provide that special something
Read the full article14 October 2021
The writers who took inspiration from rejection
Even the greatest writers have had to get used to having their work turned down.
Read the full article07 October 2021
Chantal Akerman: The director who truly treasured time
The Belgian filmmaker believed all you ever really have in life is time and she took control of her own in the most definitive way she knew how.
Read the full article07 October 2021
Mud Sweeter Than Honey: Communism’s untold story
Albania's experience under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha has received less attention than other repressive regimes. A new book provides a timely and truly chilling spotlight.
Read the full article30 September 2021
Henning Mankell: The optimistic activist who captured disillusionment
His greatest character was weighed down by disillusionment and ennui, but the author behind Wallander was quite different.
Read the full article30 September 2021
French literature’s tainted treasures and lost gems
Two writers with strikingly different reputations, whose long-lost work has recently been unearthed.
Read the full article23 September 2021
Juliette Gréco: The French chanteuse whose greatest triumph was silence
She lived in an extraordinary time, among some of the most colossal figures of 20th Century Europe. But, Juliette Gréco outlived them all - and did so on her own terms.
Read the full article23 September 2021
Paper cuts are giving the publishing industry that sinking feeling
Having stayed afloat during the pandemic, the books industry now faces two major threats, including a Brexit-related change which risks the livelihoods of many writers, says CHARLIE CONNELLY
Read the full article16 September 2021
Dag Hammarskjöld: The life of a peacemaker
The youngest UN secretary-general who changed the world and would have done so more had he lived a little longer
Read the full article16 September 2021
The reluctant celebrity of Sally Rooney
The superstar novelist has had some very searching write-ups over her wary approach to her own fame. CHARLIE CONNELLY explains why authors often make such uncomfortable celebrities
Read the full article09 September 2021
Toni Fritsch: The Austrian who revolutionised the Dallas Cowboys
He spoke no English, and had never seen an American Football before but Toni Fritsch was a natural, and he went on to change the game forever.
Read the full article09 September 2021
How Tobias Smollett became the father of broad British humour
One writer not only pioneered satire, but also the literary feud, writes CHARLIE CONNELLY
Read the full article02 September 2021
Hervé Villechaize: The actor who battled his own reality
The actor made his living selling fantasy, but this was far from the reality of Hervé Villechaize's life off-screen, writes CHARLIE CONNELLY
Read the full article02 September 2021
The Green Knight: A tale of sex, seduction and beheading
CHARLIE CONNELLY on the mysterious 14th century Arthurian epic poem behind a now delayed blockbuster movie
Read the full article26 August 2021
Erika Mann: a life combating injustice
She was an actress and a writer, but more importantly Erika Mann spent her life witnessing and fighting injustice
Read the full article26 August 2021
Being in the tyre tracks of a Civil War
CHARLIE CONNELLY on an British master of travel writing, exploring memories of the Spanish Civil War by following the route of the memorable 1941 Vuelta a Espana bicycle race
Read the full article19 August 2021
Giuseppe Meazza: Milan’s greatest footballer
Giuseppe Meazza was the greatest footballer Milan, and arguably Italy, ever produced, meaning many turned a blind eye to his excessive habits
Read the full article19 August 2021
Anthologies for summer that find poetry in the unexpected… supermarkets
CHARLIE CONNELLY on three new books of poetry on strikingly different themes: a sixth century saint, an endangered species and the everyday episodes which take place in a supermarket
Read the full article10 August 2021
The literary classics in need of a reality TV format
With a new dating show based on the Jane Austen book, perhaps there's a truth to be acknowledged that every literary classic is in need of a reality TV format. By CHARLIE CONNELLY
Read the full article10 August 2021
Otto Lilienthal: The birdman of Berlin
Otto Lilienthal was drawn to the sky by his idealism and his experience of war. It was ultimately a fatal attraction
Read the full article27 July 2021
30 great European books for the beach
Charlie Connelly offers his selection of perfect holiday reading, from the latest new European paperbacks
Read the full article27 July 2021
Jeanne Moreau: The greatest actress in the world
The daughter of a Tiller Girl from Oldham, Jeanne Moreau came to be considered "the greatest actress in the world"
Read the full article27 July 2021
Billy Wilder and his early European career
In his younger days, Billy Wilder was a journalist in Europe. A new book of his writings doesn’t give much of a glimpse of the continent, but does provide insights into his later career
Read the full article21 July 2021
Anton Chekhov: A man out of his time
Anton Chekhov transformed theatre. But many critics and audiences of his era were not so enamoured by the change, writes CHARLIE CONNELLY
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