In Constable’s ascension, Jesus just looks quite awkward
Constable painted only three religious paintings, and when you see the one in St Mary’s Church in Dedham you realise…
Auberon Waugh — a demon on the page, an angel off it
Auberon Waugh was happy to admit that most journalism is merely tomorrow’s chip paper but, of all the journalists of…
Beautiful untamed Trieste, aka the Capital of Nowhere
Trieste’s mongrel heritage and stunning location make it an unbeatable city, says William Cook
Jackie Stewart: Why I’m haunted by Formula 1 deaths
Jackie Stewart is proud of winning 27 Grands Prix — but even prouder of his one-man safety crusade, says William Cook
Dreams of utopia before the Nazi nightmare
Today Munich is a prosperous and peaceful place — Germany’s most affluent, attractive city. Wandering its leafy avenues, lined with…
Bustling, buoyant Riga is a Baltic bright spot
Riga is bustling and buoyant but wary of Russian sabre-rattling, says William Cook
The Yorkshire town that’s gone from dirty old buildings to New Age nirvana
Bernard Ingham once told a story about a reporter from the Financial Times who went to cover an election in…
Why football is a league for gentlemen
The idea that posh boys can’t play football has always been wrong, says William Cook
Hastings is pretty – but it’s the people who make it special
Kevin Boorman loves Hastings, and his enthusiasm is infectious. He was born here, he’s lived here all his life and…
Why Sebastian Kurz is Europe’s most important politician
Austria assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union this Sunday, and normally the response among rightminded Britons…
The great outdoors is a short walk from your front door
When I read about the author on the flyleaf of this book, I must admit my heart sank: ‘Tristan has…
Big cities are all alike – it's in New Jersey’s small towns that you feel like you’re really travelling
When my American friends invited us to stay with them in New Jersey, my 13-year-old daughter was thrilled. She’d never…
Becoming German has helped me understand Brexit
My new passport has helped me understand Brexiteers
The art that got away
Many masterpieces have been stolen or destroyed over the centuries, but it’s the ones that vanish which hold a special fascination. William Cook reports
Southend-on-Sea has long been a running joke – until now
Standing at the end of Britain’s longest pier, on a cold and misty morning, looking out across the Thames Estuary,…
Young, dynamic – and a pragmatist: meet Sebastian Kurz
Austria’s young Chancellor is building bridges with the populists, writes William Cook
Marx in Trier
‘Trier hates you,’ reads the graffiti outside the Karl-Marx-Wohnhaus in Trier. Actually, that’s a bit unfair. Trier doesn’t hate Marx,…
The wild, wintry wonders of Lapland
William Cook on the beauty and raw power of Lapland’s natural world
Anthologies to bring comfort and joy
John Julius Norwich loves Christmas dearly. ‘I just wish it didn’t come round about every three months,’ he says. I…
How the Gibraltar Open is rocking the chessboard
Chess is traditionally a mind gym for badly dressed men. The Gibraltar Open is changing all that, says William Cook
Where did it all go wrong for Angela Merkel?
The breakdown of coalition talks is uniquely damaging for the German leader
Notes on Lewes
Autumn is upon us, and the streets are full of families in fancy dress. People of all ages are dressing…
In search of Chicago’s artistic past – and present
The Windy City has inspired everyone from Hemingway to Saul Bellow – and now William Cook
Sport in our state schools is in a sorry state of play
Sport in state schools is not up to par, writes William Cook
Why everyone’s fighting to come third in Germany’s election
The real prize in Germany’s election is to come third
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