WILL STONE fact-checks the colourful life of Ozzy Osbourne
Patterns of Russia: History, Culture and Spaces
Accessible and informed insights into the ‘lands of the Rus’
ENGAGING ACCOUNT: (L to R) Isaak Levitan, Eternal Peace, 1894; Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir, detail of the surprisingly unthreatening Last Judgement fresco by Andrey Rublyov and Daniil Chorniy, 1408; St Petersburg, south bank of River Neva, with the dome of St Isaac’s cathedral, 1818–58
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
A SERIES of reflections on the interrelationships between culture, history and place, Patterns of Russia makes no attempt to be comprehensive. It is a surprisingly personal account but nonetheless interesting for that.
Its author, Robin Milner-Gulland, writes in a relaxed and conversational style, covering the huge subject matter in a pleasurably engaging and jargon-free fashion.
Influences from different civilisations over the past two millennia are skilfully referenced throughout, highlighting the multicultural areas of influence that eventually created the “lands of the Rus.”
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