Ed Bedford

Book Review: The Strongbox // Sasha Dugdale There is something of an elegant neatness to Sasha Dugdale’s most recent collection of poetry, The S […]

Book Review: Hera // Jennifer Saint Jennifer Saint’s latest novel does not disappoint. Hera is a continuation of her novel retellings of Greek m […]

Book Review: Let Them Float // Katy Wimhurst Let Them Float is collection of intriguing short stories headed up by the eponymous and longest of the […]

Book Review: Switch: The Complete Catullus // Isobel Williams It is not often that I am reviewing something I have reviewed a part of before. In this case I should mention […]

Short stories are frequently overlooked. The papers are often splayed with advertorials earnestly declaring this or that novel to be the next great literary masterpiece. Even stolid non-fiction tomes are never […]

Like a Tree, Walking, by Vahni Capildeo is a protean collection. The range of poetic style is astounding, almost as if it is consciously defying a simplistic understanding or categorisation. I cannot think of any […]

History of Forgetfulness by Shahé Mankerian is a stark record of life during the 1975 Beirut civil war. From starvation, to a learnt familiarity with death, Mankerian does not shy away from visceral descriptions […]

Pat Barker’s The Women of Troy is a sequel to her previous book, The Silence of the Girls. It continues the story of Briseis, and I can see more books in the pipeline, as further ramifications of the Trojan War u […]

Robert Well’s Veii And Other Poems, might seem an odd collection, in that its titular poem is embedded near the end of the third section. Yet, once you have read through to it, Veii’s position amongst those oth […]

This year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. And so, it is rather fitting that this year also marks the publication of Ned Denny’s reworking of Dante’s Divine Com […]

It would be easy to view Ariadne by Jennifer Saint as just another retelling of a classical myth. Instead, Saint takes the character of Ariadne and follows her story, whilst incorporating other myths, from […]

The freedom to step outside and walk, released from the normal constraints of jobs and plans, is intoxicating in its allure. So, it is no wonder that writers who have done so are praised almost to the point of […]

*note: some spoilers ahead for The Pursuit of Love*

The Pursuit of Love is perfectly aligned with the current mood. The first episode aired on BBC1 on 9 May 2021, replacing the void left by Line of Duty, and […]

You might think that poems written 2000 years ago would have little in common with shibari (a Japanese form of rope bondage), but Isobel Williams has used the language and ideas of this ancient art to produce a […]

Today, 3 April 2021, is the 300th anniversary of Robert Walpole being appointed First Lord of the Treasury, and so becoming the first, de facto, Prime Minister. It was the first time any single minister could be […]

Henry VI, Part III appears to start with the conflict being solved. King Henry has regained the semblance of control by naming his rival his heir. Yet, in the swirling mess of allegiances, ambitions and vendettas […]

Henry VI, Part I, seems to start in the same vein as Part I. The King marries Margaret of Anjou. The Duke of Gloucester’s wife dreams of usurping power, and partakes in a bit of witchcraft. Suffolk and his a […]

Shakespeare is best known for his tragedies and comedies. Out of his less appreciated historical works, Henry VI – a series of three, independently-working plays – stands out. Along with Richard III, these three […]

What Abigail Did That Summer is just as you would expect from Ben Aaronovitch. It is an eminently readable return to the world of his Rivers of London series. Set at the same time as Foxglove Summer, it fleshes […]

A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is brilliantly irreverent and funny, yet Southon’s authoritative tone is ever present. Covering a range of Roman murders—be it domestic, political, or even mag […]