arts byMark Fisher Books


It Used to Be Witches Ryan Gilbey June 5, Faber The New Statesman and Guardian film critic looks at the big screen from an LGBTQI+ perspective, mixing memoir, interviews and cinema history.


The Genius Myth Helen Lewis June 19, Cape The BBC Radio 4 presenter and staff writer on The Atlantic questions how healthy it is for us to buy into the idea of the tortured artist and


In depth A frank and fearful war story


Don’t be fooled by Christine Lord’s calm and measured prose. In her debut novel, Women at War, the freelance investigative journalist and film-maker writes with the clarity you would expect from someone who cut her teeth at BBC Portsmouth. There is, however, nothing easy about her material. In what reads as a


fictionalised memoir, Lord recounts the closing months of the Second World War from the point of view of German women displaced by destruction and political turmoil. Although a story of


survival, complete with a will-they-won’t-they romance, it is uncompromising in its detail of what such


24 | theJournalist


survival requires. This is a tale of hunger, death, trauma, racism and rape. Based on interviews


with those who had grown up under the Nazi regime, Women at War focuses on Greta, the 14-year-old daughter of a police officer loyal to Adolf Hitler. When he goes missing,


Greta’s mother, Helga, senses the tide turning against her antisemitic


worldview and takes her family on a life-or-death trek towards Berlin. A story most commonly


told from the viewpoint of men – be they romanticised heroes or disillusioned soldiers – here takes on a dark edge, as Lord describes the sexual and economic pressures, in addition to the straight- ahead violence to which the women are subjected. “One serving young


officer in the army told me he was glad to have read my book, as it gave him a really good perspective of what it is like being a woman or child caught up in conflict,” says Lord, who is giving talks throughout this 80th anniversary of VE day. In similarly reflective


mood, Preston-based life


member Barry McLoughlin is the author of Lancastrians on the Frontline, a collection of profiles of Second World War veterans based on interviews across his 50-year career. In five portraits, the


former Blackpool Gazette and Lancashire Post journalist profiles representatives from each of the four armed forces in theatres of war stretching from Germany to Japan, and West Lancashire to West Africa, via the Atlantic and the North Sea.


Women at War, https:// womenatwar.uk/


Lancastrians on the Frontline, Progressive Press, https://tinyurl. com/28fdw53


that led to Britain’s occupation of Egypt, and Cabaret Crusades, which presents the crusades from an Arab perspective. https://tinyurl.com/29w7k93f


the rebel tech disruptor. Who gets to be called a genius – and what does it say about the society who named them so?


Comedy Rory Bremner: Making an Impression On tour, until June 22 This promises not only politics and mimicry but also candid conversation from the seasoned satirist who is welcomed at each gig by a different host. Find out what happens when an impressionist steps out from behind his masks. https://tinyurl.com/24u64vjy


Sara Pascoe: I am a Strange Gloop On tour, June 21–March 29 2026 Just back from a major tour of Australia, the familiar panel-show face stays on the road for the next few months, sharing her sharp observations about family life and post-IVF motherhood. https://sarapascoe.co.uk


Exhibitions Wael Shawky Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, June 28–September 28 This solo show from the Egyptian artist includes screenings of Drama 1882, about the conflict


Abstract Erotic Courtauld Gallery, London, June 20–September 14 Three pioneering feminist artists, Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse and Alice Adams, are brought together in a group show celebrating the humour and sexuality of their sculpture. https://tinyurl.com/2575ucs8


Tu i Tam/Tyt i Tam The Gallery at Loading Bay Bradford, July 3–27 These photographs by Tim Smith and Marta Szyma´


nska show Polish and


Ukrainian people living in the UK. The exhibition is part of Bradford’s UK City of Culture programme. https://tinyurl.com/25qu9j9t


Festivals Galway International Arts Festival Various venues, Galway, July 14–27 The first acts to be announced in the multi-art form jamboree include Mogwai, Kingfishr and Sophie Ellis-Bextor who is supported by Natasha Bedingfield. https://www.giaf.ie


Sheffield DocFest Various venues, Sheffield, June 18–23 Previous guests in the annual celebration of the documentary have included David Attenborough, Stacey Dooley and Idris Elba. The programme includes premieres, discussions and immersive VR events. https://tinyurl.com/23mopypr


Films Lollipop General release From June 13 Daisy May-Hudson’s hard-hitting


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