WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
The dangers of throwing the baby out with the bathwater
We cannot allow culture be used to widen the divide, to transform Russians into non-European savages, while painting all Ukrainians blindly as heroic martyred defenders of Europe, writes BEN LUNN
PUTIN'S MEN? (L to R) Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
[(L to R) Nikolai Fedorovich/FW Taylor/Serge Lachinov/Emile Reutlinger/Creative Commons] 
JAMES CROSSLEY applauds a lucid biography of the German radical preacher who reemerged as a hero in the GDR
Prizes all round: the Bard hands plaudits to the Miners Gala, OT&JC, Joe Solo, Black Sabbath’s frontman and the Lionesses
Star cartoonist JAMIE BRITTON is in awe of a graphic novel of epic proportions that explores class, religion and globalisation via the strange cultivation of Ginseng in the US Midwest
GUILLERMO THOMAS is intrigued by a history of the Middle East that demonstrates how promising post colonial beginnings were snuffed out by Western imperialist interests
MARIA DUARTE recommends the intricate study of a high-performance and highly dysfuntional German family
THE escalation of violence in Ukraine, following the eight years of instability, has been harrowing to observe. The devastating loss of life, the desecration of historical sites and increasing horrors, which for two nations whose history is so deeply intertwined makes the conflict all the more difficult to stomach.
Though many dismiss art and culture as a frivolous endeavour, its importance becomes all the more vital during such dark days. It can be a vessel to challenge the warmongers, it can depict the inhumanity of war, it can share tales of heroism, and most importantly humanise those we are told are the “enemy.”
For these reasons, the current weaponisation of many facets of our life show the massive ideological and humanitarian battles that we need to fight throughout Europe and the West in general.
More from this author
BEN LUNN alerts us to the creeping return of philanthropy and private patronage, and suggests alternative paths to explore
BEN LUNN draws attention to the way cultural expressions of solidarity with Palestinians in the UK are being censored by Israeli-sponsored lawfare
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The centenary of his birth is a chance to assess the remarkable combination of Marxism, activism and modernism in the works of Luigi Nono
