LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS – AUGUST 13, 2026 PREVIEW

LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS: The latest issue features

An Uncomplicated Man – Emily Wilson

The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan.

Christopher Nolan’s $250 million action movie version of Homer’s ancient Greek poem is an entertaining way to hide from the high temperatures for a few hours. Nolan’s trademark jumps and twists in the narrative structure are relatively easy to follow, and appropriate for The Odyssey, a narrative of tales nested in tales. My teenagers had a good time. Unlike some of Nolan’s other films, The Odyssey is not boring, thanks to the source material, which is impossible to mess up entirely. It’s a family-friendly audiovisual spectacle, like an elaborate Fourth of July fireworks display – and with about the same level of narrative and emotional depth.

Beloved Son Felix: Coming of Age in the Renaissance by Felix Platter, translated by Seán Jennett


The Northern Routes to Kingship: 
A History of Scandinavia AD 180-550 by Dagfinn Skre


The Boundless Deep: 
Young Tennyson, Science and the Crisis of Belief by Richard Holmes

The Future in Our Past: The General Strike, 1926-2026 by Callum Cant and Matthew Lee

The Edge of Revolution: The General Strike that Shook Britain by David Torrance

Nine Days in May: The General Strike of 1926 by Jonathan Schneer

Britain’s Revolutionary Summer: The General Strike of 1926 by Edd Mustill

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