The ObserverPhilosophy booksReviewThough you may need a quiet room to read it in, Matthew Crawford’s study of our distracting modern age is a rewarding one
If an attention deficit is the mental equivalent of obesity, perhaps politicians should be more worried about slack minds than flabby waistlines. The bleep of a text message or the flickering image on a TV screen in a communal area may be distracting enough. But public spaces that used to be shielded from unnecessary disturbance are being colonised by the captains of commerce. Read More...
Where to start withBooksThe author and critic, who died last week aged 87, left behind a treasure trove of writings – sensuous, erudite, experimental and in love with literature. Here are some good places to begin
AS Byatt had a writing career that spanned six decades and featured award-winning novels, short stories and literary criticism. Whether you’re new to the author’s work or wanting to revisit it, John Mullan suggests some good ways in. Read More...
Marcus Bridge, frontman of the Australian metal band Northlane: ‘I’ve always wanted to tell this story’Marcus Bridge, frontman of the Australian metal band Northlane: ‘I’ve always wanted to tell this story’MetalInterview‘You can make it out of hell’: Northlane's Marcus Bridge opens up about traumatic pastMike HohnenAria-winning metal band’s fifth album tells how its frontman found his way out of a childhood racked by addiction and abuse
As children bouncing between Sydney hotel and motel rooms at the whim of heroin-addicted parents, Marcus Bridge and his younger sister saw and felt depths of suffering no one should. Read More...
