the Nazis
Seeds of hope in the siege of Leningrad
A Russian biologist’s dream of creating the world’s first seed bank is thwarted by Stalin’s paranoia and the Nazi invasion. But the pioneering project remains a potent symbol of hope
Strategies for survival
Late in his life, I asked my uncle René about his exploits in wartime France. What I knew was that…
Poland was no walkover for the Reich
‘The victor will never be asked if he told the truth,’ Hitler remarked on the eve of invading Poland in…
Laws that changed the world
Prosecution for genocide or crimes against humanity is now a given in international law. But before the Nuremberg Trials, these two groundbreaking notions didn’t exist. Daniel Hahn describes their origins and inspiration
The raffish toff with a winning Formula
Max Mosley’s autobiography has been much anticipated: by the motor racing world, by the writers and readers of tabloid newspapers,…
In search of the Fatherland
As I grew up half German in England in the 1970s, my German heritage was confined to the few curios…
A series of impressionist strokes
When she was four, Anne Sinclair had her portrait painted by Marie Laurencin. It is a charming picture, a little…
