This is poetry in paint, spectacular but never spectacle for its own sake, writes JAN WOOLF

JAN WOOLF relishes a book of poetry that deploys the energy of political struggle, rooted in post-war working class history and culture

JAN WOOLF marvels at a rich brew of steam-punk Victoriana, homosexual scandal, and contemporary reference

JAN WOOLF ponders the images of humanity that emerge from the tormented, destructive process of the Kindertransport survivor Frank Auerbach

JAN WOOLF savours the essays of Hilary Mantel: high calorific brain food that slips down nicely

JAN WOOLF ponders a year of challenging reviews

JAN WOOLF relishes a seasonal offering of peanuts

JAN WOOLF enjoys an imaginative revival of the Anton Chekhov classic

JAN WOOLF is sucked into a unique vision of the urban US from the perspective of immigrant and queer communities

JAN WOOLF joins forces with artists and activists who seek to understand and resist corporate capital

JAN WOOLF swoons to a sublime blend of poetry and choreography

JAN WOOLF reviews the latest title from the 'chronicler of muddle England'

Plastic surgery was pioneered on those injured in World War I. JAN WOOLF reads an account of how this technology emerged, written with grace and love

Walter Sickert’s depictions of the lives and behaviours of ordinary people was ground breaking and free from hypocrisy, contends JAN WOOLF

JAN WOOLF recommends a play which is a marvel of ensemble playing, where actors and on-stage musicians are in high-energy harmony

JAN WOOLF recommends a new post-Brexit analysis of how Britain can rejuvenate its manufacturing sector

JAN WOOLF is thrilled by the theatre but laments the omission of any reference to collective consciousness in class struggle

Images of life-affirming creativity from iconic women's peace camp

Mordant critique of an art world infected by neoliberal values

Visceral, confrontational and emotionally charged, the retrospective of scenarios by the great Portuguese artist transfixes JAN WOOLF

Hugely enjoyable account of a musical genius's domestic life

Affecting tale of mid-life crises

Robert Burton’s 1621 epic resonates today both as a literary work and a study in what we now call depression

Why a thriving fishing industry is so important to an island nation like Britain

Surreal theatrical adventure with moments of magic and mirth from Omid Djalili

Writer JAN WOOLF on the unique opportunity lockdown provides to use our imagination

Writer JAN WOOLF muses on propaganda as a virus that infects us all

Writer Jan Woolf reflects on the benefit of talking among your selves during lockdown

Among other things, writer JAN WOOLF reflects on statistics as an anaesthetic, disinfectant as the only Covid joke in town and how 'normal' has become a contentious word

Writer JAN WOOLF on delights and dodginess, from Devs to Captain Tom's NHS fundraiser

Rafe Spall brilliantly conveys the conflicted mindset of a white working-class ‘loser’

State of the nation takes root in an English country garden

Written 25 years ago, there's an unnerving prescience to this brilliant play in the era of Brexit, says JAN WOOLF

Challenging exploration of sex and censorship from Anthony Neilsen

JAN WOOLF celebrates the forward march of radical publisher Pluto Press, which is about to mark its 50th birthday