England--London
Punk Legend And Memoirist Viv Albertine On A Lifetime Of Fighting The Patriarchy
Growing up in North London in the 1960s and '70s, Viv Albertine never dreamed that one day she'd be a rock star. For one thing, she says, "There [were] just no role models ... I never heard of anyone, any female playing guitar."
With Closed-Circuit TV, Satellites And Phones, Millions Of Cameras Are Watching
Journalist Robert Draper writes in National Geographic that the proliferation of cameras focused on the public has led "to the point where we're expecting to be voyeur and exhibitionist 24/7."
Gangsters, Goons And 'Grievous Bodily Harm' In Ted Lewis' London
Soho Press recently reissued the late British crime writer's final novel. Critic John Powers says Lewis' GBH is a pulp-fiction triumph worthy of Jim Thompson or James Ellroy.
'Dirty Old London': A History Of The Victorians' Infamous Filth
n the 1800s, the Thames River was thick with human sewage and the streets were covered with horse dung, the removal of which, according to Lee Jackson, presented an "impossible challenge."
You'll Want To Accept The Dinner Invitation To 'The Immortal Evening.'
On a cold evening in London in 1817, painter Benjamin Haydon hosted a dinner with the likes of Keats and Wordsworth. Critic Stanley Plumly recreates the crackling conversation about art and science.
After WWI, A Mother And Daughter Must Take In 'Paying Guests'
Sarah Waters' spellbinding novel -- about two women in 1920s London -- is no simple period piece. Waters is a superb storyteller with a gift for capturing the layered nuances of character and mood.
10 Years Later, Mystery Heroine 'Maisie Dobbs' Gains New Life
Jacqueline Winspear's debut mystery, Maisie Dobbs, set in England around World War I, came out in paperback a decade ago. A new edition testifies to the enduring allure of the traditional mystery.
In 'Locke,' A Man's Life Unravels En Route To London
Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is the only person the audience sees in this daring film by Steven Knight. Viewers spend an hour and a half in the car with him, on a solo drive from Birmingham to London.
'Dancing On The Edge' Is Fun For Both The Eyes And The Ears
Set in London in the early 1930s, the five-part miniseries is about a black jazz band trying to crack the dance halls and radio playlists. Critic David Bianculli says this music-centered show features full, unpredictable characters and some exceptionally intriguing performances.
Was Zadie Smith's Novel 'NW' Worth The Wait?
Zadie Smith wrote her last novel On Beauty seven years ago — a long time in the anxious world of publishing. Her new novel NW was released in the U.S. on Monday. Critic Maureen Corrigan asks: Was it worth the wait?