‘Our world is blighted by many sick cities’, and Dublin ‘gave in to the Factory’
Marwa al-Sabouni’s latest book deconstructs many living spaces that fail at the first hurdle
Marwa al-Sabouni’s latest book deconstructs many living spaces that fail at the first hurdle
Unthinkable: Do we need more books promoting self-mystification? Yes, we do
The time is always right for solitude skills: journaling, scheduling time for yourself, treating yourself well ...
The RTÉ star sounds uncharacteristically elegiac after his coronavirus experience
Tell Me About It: I think he has become comfortable in our relationship
Riba House of the Year contest in the UK shows architects moving away from stark shapes towards more sustainable designs
In the absence of psychometric tests or college open days, we took a more anarchic approach to life-defining career decisions. It seemed to work out well for most of us
The Ulysses Centre aspires to reveal Joyce in a more innovative way
After a holiday you can, for a time, enjoy your home as if it were brand new to you
Coping: 'There is a corner of my mind devoted to haughtily disdaining people who procrastinate, a sure sign I am one of them'
This intense book eloquently makes the case for suicide not as an act to be pitilessly condemned, but a possibility for which any of us might be thankful, says Rob Doyle
Seeing happiness as a right causes anxiety and disappointment
You’ve met a kind, loving person but you don’t want them, you want the broody narcissist: why?
The best things about Christmas are free. Don’t forget that
Arts-show guests often seem afraid to say what they think. Like the football-free reality-TV show, we should forget about the art itself and focus on the characters doing the talking and the dynamics between them
Alain de Botton explains the thinking that prompted him to marshal leading writers into closed organisations
The ‘Philosophers’ Mail’, edited by Alain de Botton, re-examines some lowest common denominators
Essayist Geoff Dyer spent two weeks on board a US aircraft carrier in the Gulf. His fiction-fuelled insights have been published as a book
I would love to have a relationship but worry I’m not able for it
Conversation salons, where people can talk openly about deep topics without having to fluff it up, are back
Need to find a painting that can calm you in moments of stress? Or a book that can cure cynicism or a tendency to prevaricate? The use of art and literature as therapy is an old idea, but it’s making a comeback
The art world is adept at training us to want what it’s selling, but perhaps it’s time to consider instead what we want from art
‘In Search of Lost Time’ is ‘the most famous and least read French novel’ – which is a pity, as it still rewards with its deep insights
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Full general election coverage including analysis and results for all 43 constituencies
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices