Blog

Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins: the man on the bridge
The last colossus of bebop died on May 25th, aged 95 On most nights in 1959 and 1960, a very large man could be heard playing the tenor saxophone on... Read more...
Lise Meitner: The Physicist Who Fissioned the Rules of Science (and Took No Credit for It!)
Lise Meitner: The Physicist Who Fissioned the Rules of Science (and Took No Credit for It!)
She made the atom’s fracture sound inevitable, and in doing so exposed a deeper split in how science rewards discovery. Lise Meitner never set out to be a symbol of... Read more...
Mondadori Headquarters
When one man bought Italy's books
The Berlusconi media empire began not with politics, but with publishing Silvio Berlusconi is remembered for many things: three terms as prime minister, a talent for legal evasion, and a... Read more...
5 Books That Prove Vicente Blasco Ibáñez Is a Titan of European Realism
5 Books That Prove Vicente Blasco Ibáñez Is a Titan of European Realism
Vicente Blasco Ibáñez is one of those writers whose reputation has dipped in and out of fashion: once a global bestseller adapted by Hollywood, now a name often tucked away... Read more...
Federico Fellini
10 Things You Might Not Know About Federico Fellini
1. Federico Fellini was born in the town of Rimini, Italy, and spent his childhood there. He was fascinated by the local circus and carnival performers, which would later influence... Read more...
Martin Heidegger: The Man Who Took Being Too Seriously
Martin Heidegger: The Man Who Took Being Too Seriously
He made existence sound urgent, and in doing so made philosophy sound dangerous. In late May 1933, students and professors gathered in Freiburg to hear their new rector speak. The... Read more...
David Hume and the Habit of Doubt
David Hume and the Habit of Doubt
He made skepticism sound like common sense, and in doing so unsettled certainty itself. On an ordinary afternoon in Edinburgh, David Hume liked to walk. Not to pray, not to... Read more...
Niccolò Machiavelli: The Man Who Made Scheming Respectable
Niccolò Machiavelli: The Man Who Made Scheming Respectable
He made manipulation sound like prudence, and in doing so changed how power speaks about itself. Few writers have acquired such a sinister afterlife for their unnerving frankness in describing... Read more...
Marcus Aurelius and the Discipline of the Inner Empire
Marcus Aurelius and the Discipline of the Inner Empire
He made self-mastery sound practical, and in doing so made it political. Few rulers have exercised such quiet influence over posterity with so little regard for their own reputation. Marcus... Read more...
Thomas Jefferson: Contradictions of a Founder, Revisited
Thomas Jefferson: Contradictions of a Founder, Revisited
As America hurtles toward its 250th anniversary in 2026, all eyes turn to the men who dreamed up a nation on the shaky premise of self-evident truths. Thomas Jefferson, born... Read more...
How Samuel Beckett Turned Emptiness into a Running Gag
How Samuel Beckett Turned Emptiness into a Running Gag
He stripped stories of their furniture until only time, pain, and a few stubborn jokes were left standing. On most stages, emptiness is a problem; on Samuel Beckett’s, it is... Read more...
John O’Hara, the Professional Who Told the Truth About His Time
John O’Hara, the Professional Who Told the Truth About His Time
John O’Hara died on April 11th, 1970, in Princeton, New Jersey, convinced that history would one day rank him among the essential American storytellers of the 20th century. That confidence,... Read more...