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alunephraim.bsky.social
History PhD student, bookseller, artist and problematic crank.
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Trying to explain why the now sadly late Alfred Brendel was one of the very greatest of pianists is a lot harder than simply linking to a recording, but he was good with words as well so it is owed. He had a style that was precise and intelligent, but so very human. There was life and humour there.

submitted 11 days ago • 1 comment

Someone has to say it. And I don't live in Northern Ireland. I will note that no one has firebombed Jeffrey Donaldson's house. That's all. (Yes, Mr Donaldson has not been convicted of anything, but neither have the two young men accused in this case. In neither case do I make comment on guilt).

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

For all the triumphalism in certain quarters about there being a women's tournament at Queens this year, I will rather sourly note that this has mostly come at the expense of the Edgbaston tournament, which moved to the last week of RG and was further downgraded. Is this actually progress?

submitted 18 days ago • 1 comment

That's as his budget has been slashed *so hard* that departmental spending projections have actually increased substantially, due to complex laws of physics understood only by breathless political gossipmongers and beyond the ken of mere mortals.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

Some things presently available on the BBC iPlayer: the peerless 1995 adaptation of Persuasion, Britten conducting his own War Requiem, every episode of 'The Ascent of Man' and 'Civilisation', a lot of Schama art docs, John Freeman interviewing Jung and MLK, and the Agincourt episode of War Walks.

submitted 19 days ago • 3 comments

I understand that the Pope has met the victorious Napoli team and has publicly denied earlier reports that he is a Roma fan.

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

To take my tongue out of my cheek, the joy of having worked on a daily newsletter for the best part of 12 years now is having a physical reminder that I am not being nostalgic - the dominant question from 2013 to 2021 really wasn’t “how will this play electorally” EVERY DAY.

submitted 31 days ago • 8 comments

I have of late acquired a taste for Scandinavian 'Remoulade', a fact that many find to be disturbing.

submitted 32 days ago • 4 comments

A strange mash-up of Morse and David Foster Wallace here... www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

submitted 33 days ago • 0 comments