🔴Estamos ya en mayo, y el día 29 sale en español mi nueva biografía de Madrid. Un ensayo detallado que abarca la historia política, social y cultural de una de las ciudades más extraordinarias del mundo. Con una traducción espléndida de Ana Bustelo Tortella
planetadelibros.com/libro-madrid/3…

Qué larga tradición es la de culpar a Madrid de todos los males de la nación…

En fin. Un teatrillo, un chantaje burdo y un abuso del poder en toda regla. Y lo de ‘limpiar’: como siempre con estas cosas, hay que predicar con el ejemplo.

Every now and again I visit our little community church. It's an old but beautifully maintained timber church, typical in parts of rural Queensland. Today the elderly folks who attend asked me to do a few readings from the Bible. All very simple, very conservative, very humble.

Working on compiling the Index for the English language edition of my biography of #Madrid this week, but also keeping one eye on the absolutely hysterical state of politics in Spain. Un delirio y un disparate.

I rarely read fiction anymore... but recently heard this 1997 novel strongly recommended on different podcasts. And the hype was true - a brilliant novel of intrigue, politics, science, witchcraft and skulduggery set in Oxford, 1663.
Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🟢 'Madrid: A New Biography' will be published by Yale University Press on August 13 in the UK and August 27 in the US. This is the first major social, cultural and political biography of Madrid written in English, and I am very excited for people to read it. Yale University Press London📚

Como era de esperar, una maravilla.

autumn / otoño
#buenosdías

Irreconcilable differences. Lies and deceit. Unscrupulous, power-obsessed politicians fomenting and then exploiting deep social polarization. Plus ça change... it's all here in this terrific and riveting account of the collapse of the Roman Republic from Tom Holland. Superb.

Madrid's Museo del Prado confirming its status as probably the most extraordinary cultural institution in the world.

Walking home today...

Heavy storms approaching...

Busy over this Easter weekend - home maintenance, literacy work with prisoners, proofreading manuscripts. Also re-reading Geoffrey Parker's excellent biography of Felipe II, a great patron of the arts and by some distance the most important monarch in 16th century Europe.

A big Saturday night in Ipswich, starting my twelfth season ringside, supervising at a ProAm tournament featuring two members of the Australian Olympic boxing team heading to Paris later this year, then some professional heavyweights.