Letters: Adrian Paterson looks to Paradise Lost for alternatives to the word ‘chaos’, while George Smith compares the this year’s PM head count with Rome in AD69
December 2019
From Milton to Pullman, the quest for truth is riddled with ambiguity
Kenan Malik
The Guardian view on the new Scrooge: a charismatic antihero for Christmas
September 2019
When Milton met Shakespeare: poet's notes on Bard appear to have been found
Hailed as one of the most significant archival discoveries of modern times, text seems to show the Paradise Lost poet making careful annotations on his edition of Shakespeare’s plays
March 2019
Top 10s
Top 10 evil narrators
Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, American Psycho ... many of these books were originally condemned as immoral for humanising the evil at their heart
January 2019
Carol Rumens's poem of the week
Poem of the week: From Paradise Lost by John Milton
The muscular blank verse of this great classic reveals a visionary amalgam of the biblical and the classical
April 2018
How to read poetry like a professor
Thomas Foster, an ex-literature professor and author, explains how to get the most out of poems while avoiding intimidation
February 2018
From Watchmen to Catch-22: can TV tackle 'unfilmable' books?
Film history is littered with adaptations that didn’t do their literary source material justice. But the small screen’s longer format could be the ideal place for unwieldy texts
January 2018
Reading group
Reading group: which book about redemption should we read in January?
From Milton to Marilynne Robinson, stories of spiritual and worldly salvation are a rich seam in literature. Please help choose one for us to make a fresh start with in 2018
December 2017
Britain’s problem is not with Europe, but with England
David Marquand
Books blog
Kingsley Amis was spied on – but he’s in the best literary company
November 2017
100 best nonfiction books of all time
The 100 best nonfiction books: No 95 – Areopagitica by John Milton (1644)
Today Milton is remembered as a great poet. But this fiery attack on censorship and call for a free press reveals a brilliant English radical
September 2017
Why Arab Muslims love Paradise Lost – and their leaders hate it
Islam Issa
Paradise Lost is causing controversy in Egypt 350 years after its publication. Little wonder given its revolutionary message, writes John Milton scholar Islam Issa
August 2017
When Milton met Galileo: the collision of cultures that helped shape Paradise Lost
'England hath need of thee': appeal to save Milton's Paradise Lost cottage
July 2017
Paradise Lost 'translated more often in last 30 years than previous 300'
Gary Panter: the cartoonist who took a trip to hell and back
November 2016
Comus review – Milton meets the National Theatre of Brent
Comus review – lush and sexy reframing of Milton's chastity play
July 2016
Paradise Lost by John Milton and Pablo Auladell review – a splendid mix of devils, treason and temptation
An abridged, illustrated retelling of Milton’s classic adds vigour to a tale that can often feel remote
