Laurel and Sausages: ‘The Anachronistic Procession’ Unmasked
Spring arrived in German country. Over ash and rubble The first green of birch unfurled Tentative, delicate, and bold Out of the villages, as from the South A tattered procession of voters went forth Who carried with pomp, Two old banners. The stitches were ragged and worn And the inscription faded
Oscar Wilde and Sally Rooney: Parodying the Political
“Art is individualism, and individualism is a disturbing and disintegrating force. There lies its immense value,” argued Oscar Wilde in his 1891 essay, The Soul of the Man Under Socialism, which advocated a trailblazing vision of social and artistic equality. His libertarian, socialist philosoph
How a country’s culture of discontent reflects on the state of their democracy
It is only in the last few years that Britain has reimagined itself as a protesting nation. For Generation Z, the solidarity shown against the Iraq War is accessible not through social memory per se, but historical media. What has in fact revitalised the country’s relationship to acts of demonstra
In the Path of a Distant Star: in search of Allende’s lost generation
In late December 2021, following a long nail-biting campaign, insurgent left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric was announced as the victor in Chile’s presidential election. Boric, a former student leader, swept the polls roundly defeating far-right candidate José Antonio Kast, becoming the youngest pr
A Boys’ World
“If you’re a woman, you will earn less than a man.” This is what Theresa May had to say about a woman’s position in Britain during her first speech as prime minister. Sexism is a safe, even fashionable issue for party leaders to be seen tackling, but action is harder to come by. Flipping thr
Rubber Fire
Horizon catches the cap of our neighbour’s fire oiling gashes through wood floorboards spiked with old plimsolls. The deadliness is in the sunsink behind the flames: in things suspended there is so much space quivering from absence into being. Strange faith. I tap your shoulder to ma
Doctored Front Lines
In these unprecedented, uncertain times, as we navigate the new normal, I hope this note finds you and your family safe, as you know many people are struggling. Or something to that effect. The ‘new normal’ of email etiquette, so brilliantly satirised by Jessica Salfia’s poem ‘First lines of
In Conversation with Sarah Mardini
“The boat started taking in water and the engine turned off. The boat was just a little dinghy. I jumped in the water, and my sister joined me; we had to use all the swimming resources that we had. It was a very rough sea that day. But I’m a long-distance swimmer, and I knew I could […]
Oxford joins the UCU strikes
Large crowds gather outside the Clarendon building on a cold Broad Street, sporting heavy coats and bold slogans. These are protesters, clustered in the rain to kick off eight days of strike action over the pay and teaching conditions of academic staff. Nationwide, sixty universities are participati
