Culture

A jarring Mann: ‘Fatherland’ (2026) in review

Fatherland, which recounts celebrated Modernist author Thomas Mann’s return to a Germany in wreck and rubble, deals with great personal malaise against a backdrop of great political unease.

Why does everyone like East of Eden so much?

A beautiful book, written in a determinedly readable style, is bound to become popular, not to mention the endless power of nostalgia.

The return of the surreal 

Mythical, dreamlike, phantasmagorical, and absurd: Surrealism, which took the art world by storm in...

Must theatre be so dire? Thoughts on the “unworthy scaffold”

If 'art est celare artem' (true art is to conceal art), then theatre is pretty poor art. You ain't fooling me into thinking that's a storm.

Preview: Jerusalem

Fergus Morgan gets an sneak preview of Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem, which comes to the Keble O'Reilly in 4th Week

Review: The Pillowman

Bethan Roberts reviews Rough-Hewn's production of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman

Picks of the Week MT14 Wk3

Cherwell brings you the best of this week's gigs, plays and events

Milestones: Sin

Isaac Goodwin looks at the origins of our concept of sin

Sin City: graphic in more than one way

Fergus Morgan discusses the enduring appeal of Frank Miller’s neo-noir comic book series

Review: Bouncers

Luke Howarth is only moderately amused by this unconvincing commentary on Britain's nightlife

Review: Welcome To The Parish Of Cummerbund-upon-Tweed

Tom Carter enjoys this immersive satire on the small-minded glory of parochial England

Review: Kindness – Otherness

Lewis Barnes is left underwhelmed by the new Kindness record

Q&A with Joanna Hogg

Tom Barrie was impressed with filmmaker Joanna Hogg's eloquence in OBA's Q&A at Oriel College

Preview: Hacked Off Films presents: Sin City

Tom Barrie talks to Hacked Off Films co-founder Edd Elliott about Hacked Off's upcoming immersive screening of Robert Rodriguez's Sin City.

Review: Fury

Cody Gifford finds Brad Pitt's latest outing entertaining, if contrived and devoid of a deeper significance

Where Are They Now: The Sugarhill Gang

Cherwell delves into the later careers of one-hit-wonders so you don’t have to

Review: Kele Okereke — Trick

Kele is up to his old trick(s)

Review: Afternoons — Say Yes

Clare Saxby is unimpressed by this nostalgic Americana

Review: Dope Body — Lifer

Nile Collins reviews Dope Body's new album

Interview: Southern

Clare Saxby chats to rising stars Southern about their upcoming album

Oxford Lieder Festival: Ciara Hendrick and Maciek O’Shea

Joseph Fell reviews a programme of Schubert songs at Oxford's annual Lieder festival

Interview: Esarhaddon

Isaac Goodwin talks to director Lucy Wood about the new Assyrian play, on at the Simpkins Lee theatre on Wednesday 29th October

Review: Our Fathers

Lily McIlwain is moved by theatre group Babakas' thoughtful exploration of fatherhood

Review: Pride

Kristin Grogan finds solidarity without sentimentality in Pride, as miners and LGBT activists are thrown together in Thatcher's Britain.

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