Category Archives: United States

‘Everyone Middle East is here’: The British in Iraq

Posted on July 28, 2021 by olivercraner

The real difficulty here is that we don’t know exactly what we intend to do in this country. Can you persuade people to take your side when you are not sure in the end whether you’ll be there to take … Continue reading →

Posted in Britain, Iraq, Politics, United States | Leave a comment

On Marvin Gaye’s ‘Midnight Love’

Posted on March 3, 2021 by olivercraner

In February 1981, Marvin Gaye moved to the seaside town of Ostend in Belgium, as a guest of the concert promoter Freddy Cousaert. This was a rescue mission for Cousaert, as well as an unmissable opportunity: a fan of Gaye, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, United States | Leave a comment

The Queen of Condé Nast

Posted on January 1, 2021 by olivercraner

I: Condé Nasties On the surface, Anna Wintour took public humiliation well. It was easier when The Devil Wears Prada was just a book, even if it was a New York Times bestseller and progenitor of an entire literary micro-genre, the “Boss Betrayal” roman à clef. Lauren … Continue reading →

Posted in Britain, Fashion, United States | Leave a comment

American Carnage: Sarah Palin’s Revolution

Posted on October 24, 2020 by olivercraner

  I: Family  Sarah Palin was like a comet zooming across the American sky — out of Alaska, a blazing vision of the republic’s future. In the thick of this current political era, it is worth re-watching the first national … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Populism, United States | Leave a comment