Philip Hensher
Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Exeter, Philip Hensher was among Granta 20 Best of Young British Novelists in 2003. The author of six novels, a collection of short stories and an opera libretto, he has won numerous prizes including the Somerset Maugham Award and the Stonewall Journalist of the Year. His 2008 novel, The Northern Clemency, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Commonwealth Prize. A regular presence in the British media, alongside his Wednesday column for The Independent, he writes for The Spectator and Mail on Sunday. His new novel, King Of The Badgers, will be published by Fourth Estate in March 2011.
Philip Hensher: Christmas puts us all on a stage. Is that why we've come to dread it?
Somewhere in one of Elizabeth Taylor's novels, a character makes the cardinal error of alluding, casually, to Christmas in the middle of November. "Oh, don't," her friend responds with, Taylor says, "all the English dread Christmas".
Recently by Philip Hensher
Philip Hensher: Stop worrying – the kids will be all right
Saturday, 11 December 2010
If they aren’t allowed to play British Bulldog unsupervised at seven, then they’re going to decide to throw a fire extinguisher off a building at 18
Philip Hensher: 'Thatcherite' – an insult that's had its day
Saturday, 4 December 2010
To accuse a front bench of being ‘Thatcher’s children’, when they nearly all unashamedly regard her asapost-war giant, seems peculiarly fatuous
Philip Hensher: Can you say good morning in Bengali?
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Even if we learn Mandarin to negotiate over bulk prices for widgets rather than read the poetry of Li Po, the humanising influence will make itself known
Philip Hensher: One couple's happiness will not translate into national self-esteem
Saturday, 20 November 2010
The unavoidable notion that a royal wedding is somehow related to the mood of the nation is impossible to date back beyond the late 19th century.
Laugh at the authorities but don't expect them to get it
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Philip Hensher: This Twitter story might have been funny, if anyone involved had shown any judgement.
Philip Hensher: That's too much information, Google
Saturday, 6 November 2010
In Britain, Street View seemed like a fairly innocuous photographic map. To the rest of Europe it was considered a gross invasion of privacy
Philip Hensher: Forgotten monarchs made for Hollywood
Monday, 25 October 2010
Notebook: the most memorable films about royalty in recent years have emphasised the general dullness of their lives
Philip Hensher: Why modern art is a matter of experience
Monday, 18 October 2010
Only two days after Ai Weiwei's installation opened, Tate Modern took the decision to restrict access to it. The installation consists of 100 million ceramic models of sunflower seeds, ten centimetres deep.
Philip Hensher: Human rights, in the Chinese sense
Monday, 11 October 2010
It was an undeniably bad week for the Chinese government.
Columnist Comments
• Mary Ann Sieghart: Drunk on a spirit of anarchy
Much better simply to boycott Topshop or Vodafone if you feel strongly
• Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: Ghost of Tiny Tim haunts coalition
If only we had our own Dickens to fight for our defenceless young
• Charles Nevin: These are a few of my favourite short things
1. Shortbread. 2. Winning jockeys. 3. Shakespeare's Sonnets. 4. Whisky.
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1 Robert Fisk: Stay out of trouble by not speaking to Western spies
2 Rupert Cornwell: After 150 years, the Civil War still divides the United States
3 Julie Burchill: Spare us these pampered protesters who riot in defence of their privilege
5 Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: The ghost of Tiny Tim haunts coalition's children in need
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8 Patrick Cockburn: History is repeating itself in Afghanistan
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10 Dom Joly: Blatter's big tent has air-conditioned Qatar covered – almost all welcome
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