To remember, or not to remember: that is the question

Much ado about memory studies these days – an exciting discipline whose boundaries are still being established. A new book published by Palgrave-Macmillan explores the relationship between remembering and forgetting today and its political and social consequences.

Good biography has drama, comedy and tragedy

Judging by the extent of the biography section in most reputable bookshops, people are insatiably curious about other people’s lives. That’s also why soap operas are so popular. There is an art to biographical writing and a good biography is as satisfying as a good novel – which may be half the secret.

Coffee – A Turkish blessing on Vienna

Such is the prestige of Viennese coffee houses that at the end of 2011 UNESCO qualified them as an intangible cultural heritage, places “where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill.”