The Critic Magazine

Another country

WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I was always told that talking to old people was of the utmost importance. At five years old, I was very clear that listening intently, while an octogenarian coughed their way through a long story, was an essential part of being a nice little boy.

Often, though, it was boring as hell. There was my old Italian neighbour who always wanted to talk about the Pakistanis

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Critic Magazine

The Critic Magazine4 min read
Robert Thicknesse on Opera
YOU KNOW THE STORY, BUT HERE’S a reminder: SCOTTISH WEDDING — THREE DEAD. If any operatic image can elbow out the chesty soprano snuffing it on the bed, it’s got to be the wild-eyed bride of Lammermoor in her blood-spattered wedding dress: little Luc
The Critic Magazine2 min read
Gregory Snaith
ON THE DAY BEFORE OXFORD English finals, when Gregory’s tutorial group met for its valedictory session, their tutor, Dr Carstairs, asked them all what they intended nded to “do”. The predictable replies — this was the late 1980s — included two mercha
The Critic Magazine4 min read
Romeo Coates “Between You And Me …”
GIVING US HIS MODERN-DAY Falstaff (suddenly “Shakespeare’s ultimate gangster”, apparently), McKellen unfashionably relies on a fat suit for the role. Though such an approach is now often frowned upon by the obese/obese-conscious, old Gandalf deems hi

Related Books & Audiobooks