PD Smith

2023 is almost over and I thought I’d look back at some of my favourite books of the year… 📚📚📖

🚨 Japan to send help to open Strait of Hormuz

"You're killing the tree by removing the roots." Higgs boson breakthrough was UK triumph, but British physics faces 'catastrophic' cuts. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Very sad to learn of the death of Len Deighton, who was one of the two greatest spy thriller writers of all time and in some regards was Le Carre’s superior. Anyone who has not read Deighton should try Funeral in Berlin, Bomber or SSGB. Most of all they should seek out Berlin Game, the start of an epic 10 book Cold War series focused on Bernard Samson. Deighton’s writing was sharp, satirical, gripping and often amusing. His office infighting in the intelligence services was delicious and his characters are beautifully drawn. The Samson cycle starts with a meticulously plotted run of five books (Berlin Game, Mexico Set, London Match, Spy Hook and Spy Line) which all stand alone but tell one big story from the jaded but dedicated perspective Bernard a brilliant field operative. Len’s genius idea was to use the sixth, Spy Sinker, to retell the whole cycle from the perspective of everyone else, exposing what Bernard didn’t know and misunderstood. There is then an origin story about Bernard’s dad during the war, Winter, and then a concluding trilogy of Faith, Hope and Charity, which is not as high quality but deals with the fallout from the events of books 1-5. It’s an epic achievement and the greatest long series in spy fiction, accepting that the Smiley series is the greatest short series. Do yourself a favour, give it a try

@intothefuture45 @Paul_Heron_ @ghostofchristo1 @St2station Unfortunately fantasy was never my field but Adam Roberts has written on Tolkien. Good luck 🙂

@PD_Smith @Paul_Heron_ @ghostofchristo1 @St2station Great recs! Anything on fantasy as well? It seems to get overshadowed by sci-fi.

Looking for books about speculative fiction (sci-fi/fantasy) as a literary form, its history, social context, philosophical themes etc. Any suggestions @Paul_Heron_ @ghostofchristo1 @St2station ?

🇺🇦🚀 Ukraine received only about 600 modern Patriot missiles during the entire 4 years of the war, — OP At the same time, in the first days of the war alone, the countries of the Middle East used more than 800 of these missiles.

Ottla Kafka, the devoted sister of author Franz Kafka, was killed in the gas chambers upon arrival at Auschwitz on October 7, 1943, after volunteering to accompany a group of orphans from the Terezin ghetto so they would not face the journey alone.

Loved Carrie Cracknell’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia @oldvictheatre. Such a wonderfully clever and moving play that weaves together science and literature. Recommended!

My latest cartoon for tomorrow's Telegraph Buy a print of my cartoons at telegraph.co.uk/mattprints Original artwork from chrisbeetles.com

A melancholy-looking man, he had the appearance of one who has searched for the leak in life’s gas-pipe with a lighted candle.

“It is a miracle”. Prof Plokhy on Ukraine’s survival.

Cinecittà Rome 1956 William Klein

More than 10,000 works were stolen by russia from the Kherson Regional Art Museum during the occupation. Last week, I visited an exhibition featuring art prints of some of the stolen pieces. You’ve already seen a few of them in my letter. Here’s a short video.

Wonderful movie about a great city...

Wo gehn wir denn hin? Immer nach Hause. novalis 1772 - 1801

Remembering the photographic pioneer, Henry Fox Talbot, who was born on this day, 1800

Atget, 1911. Beautiful

“Nothing says ‘I have a great attention span’ like hefting around a 1,000-page book about Beethoven or the Peasants’ Revolt or something.” Buy nonfiction! thetimes.com/article/d1beb8…

BOTD - 07/02/1812 - Charles John Huffam Dickens. 'Then came the time when, inseparable from one's own birthday, was a certain sense of merit, a consciousness of well-earned distinction. When I regarded my birthday as a graceful achievement of my own.' 'Birthday Celebrations' 1863

Terrible news. David was a fantastically astute editor – il miglior fabbro. We had the most wonderful dinner a few weeks before his death. He was as eloquent in person as on the page, and full of the wildest anecdotes about literary London and its biggest egos. He will be missed.