Why are we so averse to verse?
Why does poetry seldom, if ever, aspire to be part of a national conversation, asks Sam Leith I’ve been writing…
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Art & Culture
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Art & Culture
Author Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia on Nigeria’s literary flowering
Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia’s debut novel both reflects current Nigerian life and hints at how it should progress, she tells Arun Kakar…
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‘A modest triumph and a triumph of modesty’
The memoirs of a close friend of the Queen and Princess Margaret shed new light on the era, writes Christopher…
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Britain’s answer to Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren’s genius is that he has shaped a whole nation’s taste at a profound level, says Nick Foulkes. But…
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The Windsors of discontent: Inside the comms nightmare of Royal Britain
With the royal family facing a torrent of negative media coverage over the past year, Emelia Hamilton-Russell talks to the…
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‘This was not well-ordered succession planning: this was chaos!’ – Jason Cowley on Arsenal’s woes
How does a football club manage succession when a great manager departs? Answers on a postcard from Jason Cowley Succession…
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Hedgehog’s diary: Billionaire bosses, Philip Green on screen and Lord Bell’s secret software
Our prickly epistolerian sniffs out the tastiest stories from the Square Mile, Mayfair and beyond, edited by Edwin Smith Green…
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A walk through theatreland with Simon Callow
After a lifetime in the West End, actor Simon Callow has made his own tribute to it. On a stroll…
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‘This old horse learned new tricks’ – Alessandro Tome tries guesting
There are many ways to indulge one’s ever- growing ‘personal space’ and still live sociably, as the experience of ‘guesting’…
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Alexandra Tolstoy – The Spear’s Midas interview
The equine adventurer on her love of literature, travel and Russian traditions and ditching her ‘oligarch wardrobe’… How much is…
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Interview: Salman Rushdie on Trump, Greta and eating the rich
Salman Rushdie, whose Quichotte was shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize, discusses his Don Quixote spin-off and the geopolitics that…
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What the Art Basel banana can tell us about collecting art
The bizarre case of a reported-£100,000 banana being eaten at Art Basel sheds light on some of the more contentious…
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How 5 Hertford St became the most influential members’ club in the world
With 5 Hertford Street, Robin Birley has created a private members’ club like no other. As the impresario prepares to…
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Interview: Clive James on Dante, Brexit and Trump
In a rare interview for issue 64 of Spear’s, the late polymath Clive James talked about his latest epic poem,…
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What new BBC show Gold Digger can tell us about Pre-Nups
‘She needs a trusted advisor who will cut through the noise and tell her to be a realist’, writes Marjha…
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Jason Cowley on what Qatar can learn from Japan’s World Cup success
Jason Cowley on what Japan knows about hosting a major sporting event – and what Qatar needs to learn Contrast…
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‘There is a feeling of being completely out of one’s depth’ – Spear’s meets Colin Davidson, portraitist to the stars
Whether he’s painting the Queen or locals in Belfast, Colin Davidson brings a unique twist to his portraits. Emelia Hamilton-Russell…
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PPFM: What to see, read, buy and do in November
Pinch Punch First of the Month: From cinema to books, art and eating out, this is the Spear’s guide to…
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Stars align for the Mayfair Literary Festival
Claridges, the Connaught and the London Library, are among the venues celebrating Mayfair’s cultural history this Autumn, writes Hugo Inkson…
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UK art exports jump amid ‘weak sterling’
New research from Boodle Hatfield has found that the UK’s art exports are surging as Brexit comes to bear, writes…
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