Carol Rumens's poem of the weekPoetryWritten just before its author's execution for treason, the potency of this poem has as much do with its language as its poignant contextThis week's poem, popularly known as "Tichborne's Elegy", was written either by a terrorist or a Christian martyr, depending on your point of view. Chidiock Tichborne was born into a devout Catholic family in Southampton, circa 1558. His life became increasingly difficult after Elizabeth I made the practice of Catholicism illegal, and he and his father, who had already spent time in prison, found themselves under constant surveillance.
Honours systemLettersThe disgraceful matter of Boris Johnson’s honours Readers respond to the row surrounding the former prime minister’s nominations for peerages
Surely this must be the last gasp of the honours list when Boris Johnson decided that his hairdresser needed a rather larger than normal tip in the shape of a gong (Sunak approves Boris Johnson honours list including aides linked to Partygate, 9 June). Then, in the interests of equality, what about the dustmen who emptied all those bottles consumed at the parties in No 10?
History booksRome's collapse inspired many gripping tales, from Gibbon's history to Dune and Battlestar Galactica. The story of Arthur's Camelot has its origins in this era of political convulsion, as does a narrative that has taken on vast global importance – the foundation of IslamWhenever modern civilisations contemplate their own mortality, there is one ghost that will invariably rise up from its grave to haunt their imaginings. In February 1776, a few months after the publication of the first volume ofThe Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon commented gloomily on the news from America, where rebellion against Britain appeared imminent.
FictionReviewCohen’s bookish learning and worldly knowhow are on show in this fantasia about the Israeli prime minister’s father, inspired by an anecdote from Harold Bloom
The first obligation, when turning to the work of the electrifying American writer Joshua Cohen, is to stress that he clearly is a genius. In his essays (Attention!) and stories (Four New Messages), and in novels such as Witz, Book of Numbers, Moving Kings and now The Netanyahus – a comic historical fantasia – a dizzying range of bookish learning and worldly knowhow is given rich, resourceful expression.
OpinionChildren This article is more than 1 year oldThere is no ‘war on men’ – we now know feminism is good for boysThis article is more than 1 year oldLaura BatesA report shows that boys benefit from learning about gender stereotypes and different types of masculinity
Disappointing news today for those who blame feminism for the problems facing young men: research shows that challenging gender stereotypes and misogyny helps boys too.
TV tonightTelevision & radioAn archive-laden documentary charts the screen icon’s transformation into the Princess of Monaco before her untimely death. Plus: The Last Wave continues. Here’s what to watch this evening
Grace of Monaco: Hollywood Princess9pm, Channel 5Despite acting for only six years, Grace Kelly left a formidable mark on screen by starring as one of Alfred Hitchcock’s alluring female leads in Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, as well as winning an Oscar for her performance in 1954’s The Country Girl.
WikiLeaks This article is more than 14 years oldWikileaks publishes 570,000 messages capturing chaos of 9/11This article is more than 14 years old Website reveals archive of pager communications
Files give new insight into trauma of day's eventsThe mental and emotional storm that struck America on 11 September 2001 with the attacks on New York and Washington has been recreated with the release of more than half a million pager messages sent on that day.
The case for language learningLanguagesConfusing ‘jam’ for ‘condom’ and nine other mistakes while learning FrenchFrom being overfamiliar to mixing up your homophones, language tutors share their advice on avoiding common faux pas Getting led astray by false friends“Un préservatif” is a condom. Not jam. Don’t try and buy some to take home for your gran. This word is similar in a lot of Romance languages: preservativo (Spanish), preservativo (Italian), preservativo (Portuguese), prezervativ (Romanian).
New ZealandJacinda Ardern marries Clarke Gayford after five-year engagementNew Zealand’s former first couple had originally planned to marry in 2022 but postponed the wedding due to Covid restrictions
Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, has married her partner of a decade, Clarke Gayford, in a Hawkes Bay vineyard wedding attended by a small group of relatives and friends.
The ceremony took place late on Saturday afternoon at Craggy Range vineyard, a spokesperson for Ardern confirmed, with dinner and dancing at the popular wedding venue expected to continue into the night.