“... how best to behave intensified in the ‘other people’s houses’ where she spent the war. On hearing that her parents would soon be in England, she felt a ‘terrific physical relief’, observing that, suddenly, her body was ‘sensuously at ease’. But her foster mother expected visual evidence that she was ‘pleased’ and, since ‘it would ...”

“... one of ‘a few exceptional statesmen’ who saved Hungary after the disaster of the First World War, and his authoritarian rule has become an important prototype for Orbán. His version of the period after the German invasion is most fully expressed by the Budapest Museum of Terror, founded in 2002, which blames the atrocities of the Nazi and communist ...”

“... the line was carved deep into law, politics, culture and the national psyche. Rather than declare war, Britain justified her claim to sovereignty over Australia by the doctrine of terra nullius. It was a case of first come, first served for the European powers, especially when the native inhabitants proved insufficiently organised (not recognisably human ...”

“... the sound of it ever wants to. At Birmingham I have a session with David Edgar’s playwrights’ class, then do another ‘Our Alan’ performance for a more general audience. 26 January. Run into Tristram Powell. Andrew Devonshire (sic) has done a diary for the Spectator mentioning the memoir of Julian Jebb (edited by Tristram) as one of the books he was ...”

“... Anglo-American models – was launched from that particular quarter just as the eminently middle-class traditions of the BBC’s Radio 3 were being challenged, and methodically subverted, by commercial radio in the shape of the newly established Classic FM. It was largely thanks to that ‘upstart’ station and the expertise peculiar to its commercial ...”

“... we will pick up, so to speak, some other writers from the centre of our city and visit the war memorials.’ Even on the short journey to the motel one detects the difference in atmosphere between here and Moscow. There we had scarcely seen a slogan and Sue thought that even the pictures of Lenin were not as common as a few years back. Here he is very ...”

“... out destruct end all the representations which exist for purposes other than enjoyment. In such a war, a war against idolatry, ridicule’ll be our best tool. Remember, whore: Julien’s sarcasm did more damage than Nero’s tortures.’   ‘Decomposing flesh moves me the most,’ the young whore said. ‘Give me ...”

“... cells for its swarming bees. It might describe the exciting battle for the elevators; the war of the nameless and numberless guests, known only by their numbers. It might describe the gallant ally of 55783, who succeeded in seizing and working the 32nd lift; the heroic conduct of 62017, in bringing up an armful of yams and sweet potatoes by the ...”

“... he once painted a brilliant series – In Smog and Thunder: Historical Works from the Great War of the Californias – in which the cultural clashes between San Francisco and LA were depicted as a multi-ethnic battle, complete with fast-food sponsors and gang colours carried by the armed factions. Another series, Incarcerated: Visions of California in ...”

“... favourite film of all time is probably Braveheart,’ and this cinematic ideal of the just war, the virtuous warrior, the martyrdom of an outnumbered hero, kept propelling him to parts of the world where he felt that brave, honest Muslims were standing up to bullies. As it turned out, Begg, who almost joined the British Army in his late teens, wasn’t ...”

“... is writing his potboiler in a style of coarse assurance: Rogue Eagle Rising, about a war between Europe and the United States, has the functional, stripped-to-the-bone characters and dialogue, fast pace, changing locations, violent action, secrets and revelations, and the constant close proximity of death that he thinks the market requires, and ...”

“... The Romans had always been free with their citizenship, and the backgrounds of the imperial ruling class grew more diverse as wealthy and influential families in the provinces began to seek empire-wide roles a generation or two after their enfranchisement. We see this most clearly in the spread of senatorial status: first to the Italian municipalities, then to ...”

“... the richest lord in England, he was wealthy, influential and related to most of the ruling class. It would be easy to cast him as the kind of entitled, worldly cleric who gave the pre-Reformation Church a bad name, and such has been his reputation, but he also carried a heavy load of responsibility with sincerity and skill. He was liked and trusted by ...”

“... 10 January. Listen to a tape Ariel Crittall has made about her life at the request of the Imperial War Museum. She remembers meeting Unity and Diana Mitford off the train in Munich on the morning of the Night of the Long Knives and Diana saying: ‘What bliss. The first time I’ve been on a train without a nanny or a husband!’ Ariel’s language is a joy ...”

“... family were skilled craftsmen, who worked primarily cutting and carving gravestones. They did high-class, ornate work and had a good reputation; some of the early 20th-century memorials at Kilbegley graveyard in nearby County Roscommon are signed by the Beegan stonemasons. There is a large Celtic cross carved by them as a memorial to the 4th earl of ...”