Will science lead us back to God?
In his new book, Spencer A. Klavan takes his reader through a brief but brilliantly executed history of scientific discovery
Books
Friday
Wrestling with Jordan Peterson
The pop psychologist’s new book is not likely to light the fire of faith in any young fan
Cher should stick to what she knows best
Her memoir suggests that the icon doesn’t know what makes her compelling
Why Goethe matters
It is difficult to think of any area of modern life which is not anticipated in Faust
This month in culture: February 2025
What to watch this February
Tuesday
The Killer Angels still sings
Revisiting a classic Civil War novel on its fiftieth anniversary
Sunday
The best film, TV and music of 2024
Spectator writers on their culture picks of the year
Thursday
An insightful account of America’s decline
Matt Purple’s Decline from the Top: Snapshots from America’s Crisis and Glimmers of Hope is a veritable joy to read
How Norman Mailer changed the face of biography
Thirty years ago, two intriguing books by the writer appeared just a few months apart
One hundred years of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy
The novel is as much a historical artifact as a work of fiction
Lisa Marie Presley’s posthumous book exposes the horrors of celebrity
From Here to the Great Unknown is a tale about the intoxicating highs of the entertainment business, and a grim reminder of its abysmal lows
William Boyd’s latest novel is a smoothly gripping read
Gabriel’s Moon is the welcome return of one of Britain’s most reliably gripping novelists
This month in culture: January 2025
What to watch this month
Tuesday
Pat Barker dives into the first part of Aeschylus’ Oresteia
In The Voyage Home, she takes the infrastructure of legend and invests it with brutal realism
Imperfections in wood lead to perfection in carvings
In Ingrained, Callum Robinson’s aim is not simply to convey his love of working in his chosen way, but to evoke his craft warts and all
Saturday
Cello explains how music helped escape a certain death at Auschwitz
Exploring the relationship between the cello and its player, Kate Kennedy describes how Anita Lasker-Wallfisch’s musical gift enabled her to survive not just one but two Nazi death camps
Friday
Is Cormac McCarthy finished?
He has revealed that he himself was as flawed as any of his antagonists
Thursday
The Exchange will delight anyone seeking an impossible story made possible
This bizarre story would teeter on the incredible if it weren’t wholly true
The Spectator’s 2024 Books of the Year
Our writers weigh in
John le Carre’s son resurrects George Smiley
Karla’s Choice plays out as a clever, loving, sporadically tongue-in-cheek addition to the very best of John le Carré’s work