“We marched out down to the Ashmolean where we burnt the proctors in effigy”: Tariq Ali on Student Activism and his time at Oxford (1983)
We are sitting in his study in Hornsey, the seat he hopes to contest as a member of the Labour party in the next General Election. At the moment, the problem of his membership in the party has been ‘shelved’ by the NEC who regard him, basically, as too far to the Left. Hornsey Constituency Labo
“If I write about destruction it’s because I’m terrified of it”: An Interview with Geoffrey Hill
Six decades ago, when he was an undergraduate at Keble, The ISIS published some of Sir Geoffrey Hill’s earliest works. Today, he is the author of over a dozen books of poems and literary criticism. On the evening following his penultimate lecture as Oxford Professor of Poetry, Hill spoke to us
“Parents would rather have a tomboy than a sissy”: An Interview with Grayson Perry (2004)
Grayson Perry has been in the news a lot recently, not just for winning Britain’s most prestigious art prize, but also because of that dress. As ever, the public has been curious about men in frocks, but this time, and for the first time since Eddie Izzard graced the stage in a leather skirt, we [
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The ISIS Magazine is calling for submissions for next term’s issue! Send your pitches to [email protected] ARTICLES We’re looking for anything and everything this term – throw away any stereotype you have of what an “ISIS article” is. All we want is a piece that has something to say
A word in your ear: An Interview with Don Paterson
Don Paterson has written some of the most brilliant poems of the past twenty years, so it is with a deal of persistence that I edge the dictaphone closer and closer to him across the table. He speaks very quietly, and these are not cheap words. Winner of the 2009 Forward Poetry Prize for his [&helli
Beyond College Families: Student parents at Oxford and Cambridge
Oh… actual parenthood. Not college parents.” There is some confusion when I first speak to Geraint Kiff, a third-year undergraduate at St Peter’s College, Oxford. Geraint studies languages, occasionally dresses as his college mascot (a squirrel), and is the father of an 18-month-old girl. He l
The Alpha Course: Orange squash with Oxford’s evangelists
Got questions about life? #tryalpha #htbchurch “Christianity is cool!” retweets @alphacourse, the twitter account for the evangelistic course which has allegedly ‘saved’ the Church of England. On their Instagram, you can find a stream of attractive men in their early 20s with man-buns and Ca
Living in the Third Reich: An interview with Ron Gray
Dr Ronald Gray is a Life Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He has been there since joining as an undergraduate in the 1930s, and spent 33 years as a lecturer on German literature, history and philosophy. This Christmas, I met with Ron to discuss one particular period of his life. In 1938, Ron s
Prophetic Fallacy: The “prosperity theology” of a “faith healer”
“You’ve got cancer of the stomach? Are you ready to burn that cancer out? Here it goes in the mighty… Devil back off – back off devil! Hallelujah!” – Peter Popoff, 1986 In 1986, Peter Popoff was exposed. The American faith healer and “televangelist” had enjoyed great