Saltburn: why you should read Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, the book that inspired the new film: Ever since I first read Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited as a master’s students many years ago, I have been smitten. Literary trends and fashions come and go, but I still return to Brideshead every couple of years for …
Castlevania: how the video game was inspired by classic Dracula horror films: If you’re one of the talented few who have completed Konami’s 1986 gothic horror action-adventure game Castlevania then you’ve seen the game’s unusual closing credits. Instead of a list of the names of people who worked on the game, it is instead an …
How Sherlock Holmes, ancient Egypt and a mysterious ‘curse’ inspired Agatha Christie: Agatha Christie published The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb in September 1923, almost a year after the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Her Hercule Poirot short story drew inspiration from the sensationalised folklore of the “mummy’s curse”. Lord …
The secret world of rhododendrons: a plant more ancient than the Himalayas that inspired fables and stories around the world: Rhododendrons look pretty but there is so much more to them. Richard Milne, Author provided If you have a rhododendron in your garden or pass one by on an afternoon walk perhaps you think of …
Wegovy was inspired by Gila monster venom – here are some other drugs with surprising origins: The inspiration for Wegovy and Ozempic Vaclav Sebek/Shutterstock Many of the drugs we use today started their journey from bench to bedside in a computer. But this is certainly not the case for all drugs. Indeed, many have exotic …
How J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels were inspired by Medieval poems of ‘northern bravery’: Knights travel to battle in an illustration from a Medieval manuscript. British Library, CC BY-SA In a moment of distraction from the laborious work of marking an “enormous pile of examination papers”, J.R.R. Tolkien flipped to a blank page on a student essay …
Kole Omotoso, the Nigerian writer, scholar and actor who inspired a continent: Kole Omotoso Premium Times Bankole Ajibabi Omotoso, better known as Kole Omotoso, the Nigerian novelist, playwright, journalist, scholar and actor, died on 19 July 2023. His son Akin Omotoso, a filmmaker, announced the death of the writer on Instagram. It came at a …
Ang Lee and six other filmmakers on how Ingmar Bergman inspired them: While writing our book, Ingmar Bergman at the Crossroads: Between Theory and Practice, several filmmakers shared stories with us of the impact the legendary Swedish director had on their own work. One was the Taiwanese-American film director Ang Lee. Lee travelled to the …
The Crucible: the real witch hunt that inspired Arthur Miller’s play: Arthur Miller photographed c. 1997. US State Department In the mid 1960s, the American actress Joan Copeland was finding it increasingly difficult to secure parts. One day, though, she was up for a major television role and met with the writer, producer and sponsor. …
Architecture after COVID: how the pandemic inspired building designers: An architect working on a model. Jacob Lund/Shutterstock Walking during lockdowns, following protocols and restrictions, city dwellers witnessed the birth of a new architectural aesthetic. Concern with infection began gradually redefining the space of cities and the social choreography of daily urban life. This has led …
Why thousands of volunteers are transcribing the notebooks of the scientist who inspired Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) is usually remembered as the inventor of a revolutionary miner’s safety lamp. But his wild popularity came as much from his influence on popular culture as it did from his contributions to chemistry and applied …
Calm Down: how a Nigerian singer and a Cameroonian dancer inspired a powerful protest in Iran: Rema performing in the US. His hit Calm Down has gone viral – in part thanks to a choreographer named Loïc Reyel. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images On 8 March 2023, five teenage girls uploaded on social media a video of …
How art inspired by peatlands can help us confront the climate crisis: As environments, peatlands have undergone a remarkable transformation over the last few decades from “Cinderella” habitats, regarded as ecologically worthless in the 1980s, to today’s ecosystem superstars – crucial for biodiversity, carbon capture and regulating the water supply. This new appreciation has seen …
St David’s Day: how the sixth century monk inspired centuries of devoted followers and poets: The man we know as St David, or Dewi Sant in Welsh, lived in the sixth century in the west of the island of Britain. He founded a monastic community on the site of what is now St Davids Cathedral …
Schiaparelli couture show featured animal heads inspired by Dante’s Inferno – here’s what they mean: Dante running from the Three Beasts by William Blake (1824-1827). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, CC BY-SA The spectacle of the spring/summer 2023 Schiaparelli couture show began before a single model set foot on the runway. Media personality Kylie Jenner …
Five human technologies inspired by nature – from velcro to racing cars: Many of humanity's innovations have taken inspiration from the natural world. Alessandro De Maddalena/Shutterstock Nature has, over millions of years, evolved solutions to adapt to an array of challenges. As the challenges facing humanity become more complex, we are seeing inspiration being increasingly …
House of Dragons – an introduction to the stories and British history that inspired the beasts of Westeros: HBO Dragons have inspired awe and wonder since the beginning of human imagination. Most recently, these fire-spitting flying creatures – in modern western culture at least – have come alive in Game of Thrones and its new …
Haacaaluu Hundeesaa: sublime Ethiopian singer who inspired Oromo struggle protesters: Dagi Pictures, Author provided I speak to myself whispering Our situation has defied resolution, our misery isn’t improving We are in despair and idling, that is why I am whispering. So sings Haacaaluu Hundeessaa to his people, the Oromo, in the song Waa’ee Keenya (Our …