RIP Len Deighton, the greatest 20th c author of spy fiction and a brilliant chronicler of the absurdities, historical complexities, and political violence of espionage. He was a wonderful, thoughtful stylist as well.

Finally spring

Our annual Susan Manning Lecture is an exciting one this year. Cedric Tolliver will be speaking on African-American spy novels. Book here: llc.ed.ac.uk/english-lite... @uoe-llc.bsky.social

Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow Through public scorn,—mud from a muddy spring.

Scenes from a wonderful symposium at UC Cork and the launch of @claireconnolly.bsky.social ‘s brilliant book

Uses of Romanticism symposium at @ucc.ie opens with a poetry reading from the fabulous Maureen McLane.

Gotta love a hotel with Yeats on the bottled water

Really enjoyed the Bodleian’s informative Le Carre exhibition. Was pleased to note that The Author seems to have had no more idea about the plot of The Honourable Schoolboy than I do

Just renewed my Bodleian reader’s ticket and was chatting about the changes since my first ticket. The lovely librarian said “This will always be your home” and I nearly burst into tears!

The wonderful thing about Tyggers Is Tyggers are burning bright Their tops are made out of rubber In the forest of the night What bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, Immortal hand or eye Did frame the most wonderful thing about Tyggers, Their fearful symmetry!

I'm an Anglo-Scot who has lived in Ireland and I'm here to tell you that I do not visit America to experience the joys of "English-Scotts [sic]-Irish" culture.

#FindsFriday The Cairns Character! Discovered in a pit at the #IronAge #Broch site of The Cairns on the island of South Ronaldsay, #Orkney. He or She was carved from a beach pebble around 2,000 years ago. 📸 mine

Just reread Silas Marner. Anyone thinking the humanities are a waste of time should read it and review their life choices.

Upcoming symposium: 'Uses of Romanticism' at University College Cork, 18-19 Feb 2026 This symposium will explore the uses and relevance of the term 'Romanticism'. More on the blog: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6312

Wonderful evening with @hebridesensemble.bsky.sociali and Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, one of my favourite pieces. Amazing musicianship. We're also lucky to be able to hear contemporary music--I enjoyed Arthur Keegan's beautiful, atmospheric Quartet for the Start of Life.

Burns Night cocktails

Save the Date: 14th International Walter Scott Conference in Edinburgh, 2027 Details on the blog: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6280

So looking forward discussing Romanticism with these fantastic people in beautiful Cork.

It’s Penguin Awareness Day which seems like a great excuse to post the greatest ever Wikipedia edit.

Uh-oh

New year’s sky

Happy New Year

If it’s Saint Stephens day it’s time for leftover beef and colcannon. The best meal of the holidays.

Christmas cocktails: the Bee’s Knees

Well, this should buy some Christmas gruel

Late afternoon light over Manhattan.

Snowy Central Park

Literal earthquake in my sleepy home village. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Universities Committee in Scottish Literature launches the new Scottish Literary Studies Book Prize. The prize will be awarded biennially starting in 2026; nominations close 31 March 2026. Full details, and a nominations template, can be found here: ucsl-scotland.com/scottish-lit...

This quote from the Atlantic is right & true! One odd thing is how these points, which have been obvious for several years to anyone who spent five minutes considering how LLMs work & what education is, are finally coalescing into the standard take from the center of middlebrow opinion—why only now?

Very sad to hear of the death of Tom Stoppard. I was so moved by his final play, Leopoldstadt, that when I was in Vienna a couple of years later I went to Leopoldstadt and sat there replaying it in my mind.

St Andrews Eve dinner.

My lovely students in my Victorian Gothic class made me this Christmas Card. It’s a work of genius.

This is my ideal image of philosophy--Shaftesbury and his brother in their lounge wear.

I love a Chartist

Spent the weekend reading this. When you give it the time that readers had in 1820s, it becomes compulsive. A thriller with a twisty plot, multiple well-drawn characters, and a narrative that keeps everything in place.

Wonderful afternoon of Purcell and his friends from the Dunedin Consort. His sense of music being the most important thing there is is restorative.

Whooo

Some things stay the same in Berlin #Fernsehturm

A reminder that pg researchers and ECRs working in Romantic Studies in the UK are invited to apply for a Stephen Copley Research Award (valued up to £500) The late Stephen Copley supervised my PhD and I appreciate seeing his name live on like this #Romanticism www.bars.ac.uk/main/index.p...

It’s so good to hear the wonderful work that people are doing in Scottish literature. A convivial and stimulating afternoon.

Frozen treats … if you’re a polar bear.

Notre Dame has spruced up pretty well

Simply astonishing. Maybe Lecturer A should not have to mark over 100 essays in a two-week window in the first place? Invest in qualified staff and reduce impossible workloads FFS www.kcl.ac.uk/about/strate...

The scenes on our streets are shameful consequences of decades of austerity - government after government fanning the flames of anti migration instead of tackling inequality. We can & must make different choices. Solidarity to all communities under attack. We stand together.

Congratulations to @drleith.bsky.social and Kevin James for this wonderful volume and for inviting me to write about spies.

The only suitable replacement for Melvyn on In Our Time

At Port of Leith Distillery with the bro.