European Museums of Childhood and Toys by Jonathan Brown
The worst of it is entering a Museum of Childhood to see toys you or your oh so tidy, tidy parents had cast aside all those years ago. There in front of you, on august display like an Egyptian cat from the Pharaohs' den or a Picasso plate, sits a tin train in the evocative tones of lead-based paint, or an elaborate flashing space-rocket pistol, whatever. Almost makes you want to burst into tears! >>

Frankenstein at the Fringe by Andrew Hammond
There can't be many people (I'd stick my neck out and hazard a guess at one) who can claim to be a comic performer, a 'communicator of Darwinian theory' and an evolutionary agony aunt for a national newspaper. In this instance the person is Carole Jahme, and the paper is the Guardian....>>

A Tale of Three Cities by Jonathan Fryer
Twenty-five years ago, the then Greek Culture Minister, Melina Merkouri, shared a dream: to open up diverse aspects of European culture to the continent's citizens. Out of this was born the European Capital of Culture project, which has led to an astonishing variety of European cities, both large and small, enjoying a year...>>

A Shanghai Night to remember with EUYO at Expo 2010
May, 2010 saw the launch - with plenty of fanfare - of the world's largest-ever international exposition, the Expo 2010 in Shanghai. In keeping with previous world expositions, which have brought us such flights of fancy as the Eiffel Tower and Crystal Palace, no expense has been spared to turn this into a truly awesome...>>

European Hall of Fame by Andrew Hammond
"Small is beautiful" has probably been said often enough to be a cliché, about a concert hall in London which only seats 550 people but attracts the very best singers, instrumentalists and chamber ensembles in the world. This is the Wigmore Hall....>>


Alberto Manguel Reads the Universe by Jamie Fergusson
'How European can this be?' asked Alberto Manguel. He was speaking under the auspices of the Royal Society of Literature, in the Romanian Cultural Institute in London, at an event sponsored by the European Commission and introduced by the Spanish Ambassador to the Court of St James's. The only non-European element, he admitted, was himself - a Canadian writer.... >>

Pride and Prejudice across New Europe by Jonathan Fryer
Summer has become the season associated with Gay Pride marches throughout much of Europe. Around a million people turned out in the blazing sun on 3 July in central London, either as marchers or enthusiastic spectators, in a glitzy Pride event that had as its theme 'Paint the Town Red!' >>

Spain in the World, the World in Spain by Jonathon Brown
Curly turrets, cake-icing façades, Velásquez and Picasso, heavily embroidered costumes, bull-runs, windmills and castanets, put all that to one side: Spain's place in the world - her conquest indeed - is her language. More than 400 million people in the world today speak Spanish as a first language; the 50 million Spanish...>>

European Literature Night: Feedback
"I wanted to thank you once more for this fantastic event. I thought it quite brave to involve seven writers in one evening. [...] I was touched by the way the writers spoke about themselves, made connections between themselves and then read their works. I have spent most of my life behind the iron curtain... >>