Writing Worth Reading
Last updated 11 pm GMT
Writing Worth Reading
"To understand Mitt Romney, you have to understand the most difficult passage of his political life: How he changed his position on abortion. Not the story he tells about it, but the real story." A painstaking, fascinating piece
Bai meets UN weapons inspector who argued against US invasion of Iraq. And was later convicted of sex offences. "Everybody who lied about the war got rewarded. Because they played the game. Tell the truth, you don't get rewarded"
Book extract. "He has created his own mythology of a child of post-siege Leningrad, a mean, hungry, impoverished place that bred mean, hungry, ferocious children." In fact, he was relatively well-off. But still mean and ferocious
Excerpt from Shadid's forthcoming memoir in which he reflects on his family's roots in rural Lebanon, and the long-abandoned house that he determined to rebuild
Evan Kaufmann is a Minnesota-born pro hockey player. Many of his ancestors were murdered in the Holocaust. Now he lives in Germany. What's more, he's become one of the very few Jews to play in a post-war German national team
On the afterlife of Australia's greatest cricketer since Bradman. All offers considered, assuming $100,000 a day isn't beyond your compass. Including a return to cricket (Thanks @lookatluca for alerting us)
Forgive the NSFW wrapper to read the Nobel prize-winning economist talk politics, economics, even music. Interesting throughout. "We should not be using the language of sacrifice to talk about how we deal with the current slump"
"Few men have acquired so scandalous a reputation as did Basil Zaharoff, alias Count Zacharoff." Here's how he went from brothel tout, bigamist and arsonist to university benefactor, intimate of royalty, international arms dealer
Anthony Shadid was one of the best reporters working in the Arab world, and a two-time Pulitzer winner. His despatches over the past year from Libya and Syria have been essential reading for anyone interested in the region
No doubt you recall Mr Dotcom, playboy hacker and founder of file sharing website Megaupload. But is he really a criminal mastermind? Or just a scapegoat for a government determined to clamp down on copyright infringement?
Heartbreaking letter from Richard Feynman to his late wife, penned two years after her death. "I have met many girls and I don't want to remain alone—but in two or three meetings they all seem ashes. You only are left to me"
Rare interview with movie star Sophia Loren. Still irresistible at the age of 77. "Head her in the direction of a camera, set her Etruscan eyes dancing, and Sophia is one of the most magnificent women in the world"
