How illustrations have kept the magical appeal of ‘Robinson Crusoe’ alive for successive generations

From drawings and woodcuts to expressionist art, a variety of forms have been used to illustrate Daniel Defoe’s account of a shipwrecked sailor.

Christian Algar

· Apr 29, 2019 · 05:30 pm

In the age of Brexit, to describe Chaucer as ‘English to the core’ is to misrepresent him

The famed 14th-century author of ‘The Canterbury Tales’ is considered the epitome of Englishness but it was his internationalism that defined his writing.

Marion Turner, Aeon

· Mar 26, 2019 · 05:30 pm

How Mirza Ghalib’s ghazals traveled to America and became a part of the country’s poetic tradition

The Urdu poet died on this day, February 15, 150 years ago. A rich translation tradition has ensured his legacy lives on, even far away from home.

Manan Kapoor, Sahapedia

· Feb 15, 2019 · 05:30 pm

Why I’ve collected 15 copies (and counting) of ‘Wuthering Heights’ for my private library

How Emily Bronte’s classic novel became a ‘source text’ for a literature student.

Neha Yadav

· Feb 12, 2019 · 08:30 am

A hodgepodge of scumbags, orgies, and the breakdown of society: Also known as Juvenal’s ‘Satires’

‘...spat out in words as filthy as the vices they describe.’

Robert Cowan, The Conversation

· Jan 31, 2019 · 05:30 pm

Why ‘The Water Margin’, China’s outlaw novel from the 14th century, keeps getting modern versions

Its influence has gone far beyond the usual genres of fiction, film, art and theatre.

Josh Stenberg, The Conversation

· Jan 18, 2019 · 05:30 pm

Charles Dickens popularised the traditional Christmas meal but what did people feast on before that?

If it hadn't been for ‘A Christmas Carol’, the menu in many Western countries may well have centred on a boar's head.

Joan Fitzpatrick, The Conversation

· Dec 25, 2018 · 05:30 pm

What makes Kahlil Gibran’s ‘The Prophet’ an enduring favourite over nearly 100 years?

This slim volume of 26 prose poems has been translated into over 50 languages.

Antonia Pont, The Conversation

· Dec 12, 2018 · 05:30 pm

When Tolkien depicted orcs in ‘Lord of the Rings’, was he being racist rather than imaginative?

Recent accusations of racism are at odds with the values of friendship, altruism and courage exemplified in his books.

Dimitra Fimi, The Conversation

· Dec 10, 2018 · 05:30 pm

How ‘Little Women’ was shaped by the stifling principles of Louisa May Alcott’s father

The novel’s depiction of poverty was inspired by Amon Bronson Alcott refusal to support his family financially.

Ryna Ordynat, The Conversation

· Nov 13, 2018 · 05:30 pm

Before Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, there was Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘Herland’

The American writer imagined an all-woman society centred on motherhood.

Michael Robertson, Aeon

· Oct 05, 2018 · 05:30 pm

‘Little Women’ at 150: How I got over my literary grudge against Amy March

A novelist explores her love-hate relationship with the March sisters, who sprang to life in the pages of ‘Little Women’ 150 years ago.

Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan

· Sep 30, 2018 · 07:00 am