Hitler’s Secret, the latest Tom Wilde Second World War thriller from Rory Clements, has a daring ‘what-if’ premise, as fellow WWII author Jason Hewitt finds out. For novelists, finding a fresh, exciting take on World War II is by no means easy. It is a period strewn with the footprints of many thousands of writers […]
Torn from home
2019 marks the 80th anniversary of the start of World War Two. The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day (held every year on 27 January) is ‘Torn from Home’. Jason Hewitt considers these two facts, and why we must not forget them, for Historia. Reflections on the holocaust seem particularly relevant in today’s troubled […]
Review: The Little Stranger
1947. A young Doctor Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) visits the ramshackle Hundreds Hall to attend to a servant girl who is claiming to be ill. However, strange things are afoot and Faraday soon becomes embroiled in the closed off world of the Ayres family that live there: the stern-faced matriarch; Roderick, a disfigured war veteran; and […]
Windrush: Songs in a Strange Land
Jason Hewitt visits the Windrush exhibition at the British Library. Tucked away in one of the many audio recordings at the British Library, a Caribbean woman describes her first experience of the ‘strange’ English custom of eating fish and chips out of newspaper. It is one of the hidden gems within the British Library’s new Windrush […]
Historia Interviews: Ben Fergusson
Ben Fergusson won the Betty Trask Prize and the HWA Debut Crown Award in 2015 with The Spring of Kasper Meier. His new book, The Other Hoffman Sister, has just hit the shelves. Jason Hewitt caught up with Ben to find out more. Hi Ben. I loved The Other Hoffman Sister – as you know – but […]
Russian Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths
The British Library’s new exhibition marks the centenary of the Russian Revolution. Jason Hewitt gets a sneak preview. As we have all experienced, the last twelve months has seen a series of seismic political shifts taking place across the western world. Whether it’s the surprise Brexit vote, the election of Trump, or France’s ousting of her political […]
The Libertine, Theatre Royal Bath
Poor old Charles II. These days he’s playing second fiddle to almost everything. If it’s not last week’s 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, it’s Gemma Arterton’s recent portrayal of his famous mistress Nell Gwynn. Jasper Britton brings our most debauched monarch wonderfully to life in Stephen Jeffrey’s The Libertine, but poor Charlie […]
Shakespeare In Ten Acts
Unless you’ve been walking around with your head in a bag you’ll know that 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death. It’s hardly surprising then that, whether you’re a dedicated Bard-o-holic or just someone with a casual interest, there’s a plethora of exhibitions on offer to you this year that provide plenty of […]