Jack Dickens

Kafka goes to China The journey of Franz Kafka’s works from Europe to Mao-era China shaped generations of writers.

My latest, on Kafka in China (cameos by Yu Hua, Xue Yiwei, Kundera, Murakami & others, including an extended one by Orwell) engelsbergideas.com/essays/kafka... cc @parisreview.bsky.social

The geopolitical fallout from Trump's tariff troubles The US Supreme Court's challenge to President Trump's tariffs will have its greatest impact in the realm of geopolitics, not economics.

The geopolitical fallout from Trump’s tariff troubles | @duncanweldon.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/the...

Russia's empire of ruins From blackouts in Kherson to water shortages in Luhansk, Russia’s new imperial domains in Ukraine’s occupied territories are in turmoil.

From blackouts in Kherson to water shortages in Luhansk, Russia’s new imperial domains in Ukraine’s occupied territories are in turmoil.

Russia’s empire of ruins | @drjademcglynn.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/rus...

Europe isn't strong and united enough to be in the top league along with US and China. But it is more consequential than what is commonly believed. In a turbulent world, it is a partner of choice for nearly everyone. My take.

Strindberg's study of a marriage In 'The Dance of Death', August Strindberg imagines marriage as a sealed citadel of resentment and mutual destruction.

In 'The Dance of Death', August Strindberg imagines marriage as a sealed citadel of resentment and mutual destruction.

Strindberg’s study of a marriage | Malcolm Forbes

engelsbergideas.com/reviews/stri...

When Edo became Tokyo Christopher Harding (https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/when-edo-became-tokyo/) on the birth of Tokyo. Read by Leighton Pugh.

🎧 The EI Podcast: When Edo became Tokyo

@drchrisharding.bsky.social on the birth of Tokyo.

audioboom.com/posts/886264...

The Greenland question Donald Trump's aggressive bid for Greenland has amplified the island's long drive for self-rule, while illuminating the complex ties that bind Copenhagen, Washington and Nuuk.

Donald Trump's aggressive bid for Greenland has amplified the island's long drive for self-rule, while illuminating the complex ties that bind Copenhagen, Washington and Nuuk.

The Greenland question | Elizabeth Buchanan

engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-g...

Isabella d'Este, first lady of the world Long overshadowed by her notorious sister-in-law Lucrezia Borgia, Isabella d’Este was among the most astute diplomats and influential cultural patrons of the Renaissance.

Long overshadowed by her notorious sister-in-law Lucrezia Borgia, Isabella d’Este was among the most astute diplomats and influential cultural patrons of the Renaissance.

Isabella d’Este, first lady of the world | @cathpound.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/portraits/is...

Kafka goes to China The journey of Franz Kafka’s works from Europe to Mao-era China shaped generations of writers.

The journey of Franz Kafka’s works from Europe to Mao-era China shaped generations of writers.

Kafka goes to China | Jeffrey Wasserstrom

engelsbergideas.com/essays/kafka...

Russia's Arctic game President Putin sees Greenland as a testing ground for his vision of a world divided into spheres of influence, in which the United States and Russia set the rules of the game and keep the other playe...

President Putin sees Greenland as a testing ground for his vision of a world divided into spheres of influence, in which the United States and Russia set the rules of the game.

Russia’s Arctic game | @radchenko.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/essays/russi...

Nepal’s road to revolution Nepal’s Gen-Z revolution is the latest in a series of political crises that have unseated governments in South Asia.

Nepal’s road to revolution | Ankit Tiwari

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/nep...

Munich and the shadow of the past At the heart of today’s transatlantic divide lies a divergence between European and American elites over how they interpret their shared past.

At the heart of today’s transatlantic divide lies a divergence between European and American elites over how they interpret their shared past.

Munich and the shadow of the past | Brendan Simms

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/mun...

Charles III's philosophy of harmony The monarch's philosophy of ‘harmony’ is a theistic vision rooted in Renaissance humanism and natural law, seeking to reconcile unity and diversity in an ordered cosmos.

The monarch's philosophy of ‘harmony’ is a theistic vision rooted in Renaissance humanism and natural law, seeking to reconcile unity and diversity in an ordered cosmos.

Charles III’s philosophy of harmony | Esmé Partridge

engelsbergideas.com/reviews/char...

Bresson's seen and unseen world Robert Bresson’s 1959 classic 'Pickpocket' is a meditation on faith and the unseen forces that shape human destiny.

For the excellent @engelsbergideas.bsky.social I wrote about Pickpocket, Robert Bresson’s uncanny cinematographic meditation on the visible and invisible.

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/bre...

Our algorithms are trimming our very souls: read this salutary meditation on the modern world, & don’t forget:
no Bildung, no Bildungsroman
+ no Mignon:

Kennst du das Land, wo die Zitronen blühn
Im dunkeln Laub die Gold-Orangen glühn
Ein sanfter Wind vom blauen Himmel weht…

The decline of Bildung The classical ideal of self-formation has been replaced by a sterile cult of productivity, simulating work and leisure while forfeiting both.

The classical ideal of self-formation has been replaced by a sterile cult of productivity, simulating work and leisure while forfeiting both.

The decline of Bildung | @alastairbenn.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/the...

The tragedy of middle power politics Caught between Washington and Beijing, East Asia’s middle powers survive through hedging and strategic niche-building.

Caught between Washington and Beijing, East Asia’s middle powers survive through hedging and strategic niche-building.

The tragedy of middle power politics | Edward Howell

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/the...

Europe: a great power in the making Surrounded by an unreliable United States, a belligerent Russia, an assertive China, and a rising India, European statesmen face a timeless truth: to resist competitors, they must become a little like...

Europe: a great power in the making | @dimitarbechev.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/essays/europ...

A little history of Galentine's Day Behind Galentine’s cookies and cocktails lie the age-old dynamics of female intimacy.

Behind Galentine’s cookies and cocktails lie the age-old dynamics of female intimacy.

A little history of Galentine’s Day | Zoe Strimpel

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/a-l...

Bresson's seen and unseen world Robert Bresson’s 1959 classic 'Pickpocket' is a meditation on faith and the unseen forces that shape human destiny.

Robert Bresson’s 1959 classic 'Pickpocket' is a meditation on faith and the unseen forces that shape human destiny.

Bresson’s seen and unseen world | @murielzagha.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/bre...

Hamlet unravelled Emma Smith (https://www.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/find-an-expert/professor-emma-smith) , Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University, explores Hamlet and its rich critical history with EI’s A...

🎧The EI Podcast: Hamlet Unravelled

Emma Smith (@oldfortunatus.bsky.social), Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University, explores Hamlet and its rich critical history with EI’s @alastairbenn.bsky.social and @paullay.bsky.social

audioboom.com/posts/886038...

The spirit of the railway station Great railway termini reflect both the national character and the distinctive spirit of the age of their construction.

Great railway termini reflect both the national character and the distinctive spirit of the age of their construction.

The spirit of the railway station | Clive Aslet

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/the...

Japan's new political force Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election victory reflects broader global trends – a rightward shift in politics and a new, unapologetic nationalism.

Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election victory reflects broader global trends – a rightward shift in politics and a new, unapologetic nationalism.

Japan’s new political force | @jnilssonwright.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/jap...

We were joined by Emma Smith (@oldfortunatus.bsky.social), Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford, to explore the endless complexities of Hamlet on the latest EI Podcast. Listen here:

The end of the Kurdish model Kurdish self-rule in Syria, forged amid the country's civil war and the fight against Islamic State, was a rare, if imperfect, experiment in democratic government. Its collapse amid waning US support ...

Kurdish self-rule in Syria was a rare, if imperfect, experiment in democratic government. Its collapse amid waning US support will have implications for minorities and the balance of power across the Middle East.

The end of the Kurdish model | William Gourlay

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/the...

New START, new nuclear threat With the expiration of the arms agreement between Washington and Moscow, the world faces a new era of nuclear competition.

With the expiration of the arms agreement between Washington and Moscow, the world faces a new era of nuclear competition.

New START, new nuclear threat | Owen Matthews

engelsbergideas.com/essays/new-s...

Europe's wage paradox European leaders should find inspiration in Keynes' insight – that the world becomes richer when economies raise productivity and allow wages to keep pace.

European leaders should find inspiration in Keynes' insight – that the world becomes richer when economies raise productivity and allow wages to keep pace.

Europe’s wage paradox | @michaelpettis.bsky.social

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/eur...

Suez at 70.
The standard morality tale blames Eden’s deception. But the deeper lesson is about alliance asymmetry: Britain discovered it couldn’t rely on the “Special Relationship” to simulate being a great power.

My new essay for
@engelsbergideas.bsky.social

Moltbook's new society Inside Moltbook, a social network run by AI agents, bots debate, cooperate, and form communities, forcing us to rethink what culture means.

Inside Moltbook, a social network run by AI agents, bots debate, cooperate, and form communities, forcing us to rethink what culture means.

Moltbook’s new society | Lisa Klaassen

engelsbergideas.com/notebook/mol...

The transformation of Ernst Kantorowicz The mutable German-Jewish historian was many things, but never dull.

The mutable German-Jewish historian was many things, but never dull.

The transformation of Ernst Kantorowicz | Samuel Rubinstein

engelsbergideas.com/reviews/the-...