Sally Carson’s Crooked Cross was written and set during the rise of nazism. It shows both how extremism takes hold, and the moral certainty needed to resist itA few days ago I asked an American acquaintance – as one does these days – where he sees “it”, by which I meant the political situation, heading. He took a breath. “In my opinion, the US is in a very similar position to Germany in 1933-4,” he said. “And we have to ask, could 1936, 1937, 1938 have been avoided? That’s the point we are at. You can try to say fascism couldn’t happen in the US. But I think the jury’s out.”His words seemed especially resonant to me because I had just finished reading a remarkable novel precisely to do with Germany in 1933-4, a book written in the former year and published in the latter. Forgotten for decades, Sally Carson’s Bavaria-set Crooked Cross was republished in April by Persephone Books, which specialises in reviving neglected works. Since then, it has been a surprise hit, a word-of-mouth jaw-dropper, passed from hand to hand. Continue reading...
Saturday 18 October 2025
theguardian - 9 hours ago
A prophetic 1933 novel has found a surprising second life – it holds lessons for us all | Charlotte Higgins
Latest News
Ed Miliband needs a plan now to help industry weather UK transition to net zero | Phillip Inman
- theguardian ‘Suck it up’: leaked video exposes bitter infighting at Reform UK’s flagship Kent council
- theguardian Bulls Star Slated For Highly Dangerous Tackle That May Rule Mack Hansen Out Of All Blacks Game
- balls Championship roundup: Millwall end QPR’s unbeaten run while Saints still struggle at home
- theguardian ‘Super Dom’ Cummings cunningly waits five years to reveal national security lapses | John Crace
- theguardian Weather warnings in place for southern counties, with Cork and Waterford on Status Orange
- thejournal I can’t stop watching videos of people discovering Beds are Burning by Midnight Oil. Send help
- theguardian A congressman’s ex got a protective order against him. His boss has little to say about it | Arwa Mahdawi
- theguardian ‘No one makes money from them’: with MTV channels switching off, is the music video under threat?
- theguardian ‘It caramelised beautifully’: the best (and worst) supermarket chickens, tasted and rated | The food filter
- theguardian ‘No Kings’ protest live updates: millions expected to gather across the US for anti-Trump protests
- theguardian Shorn of title, status and dignity, it’s the new Prince Andrew. A life he was born to replaced by a life he will hate | Stephen Bates
- theguardian Gaza’s children needed a ceasefire – now they desperately need the aid that will keep them alive | Alison Griffin
- theguardian ‘Indecency has become a new hallmark’: writer and historian Jelani Cobb on race in Donald Trump’s America
- theguardian ‘Dad taught me not just to look at the world but to really see it’: Ariel Meyerowitz’s best phone picture
- theguardian ‘We don’t celebrate Black creativity enough’: why the Black British book festival is bigger than ever
- theguardian Parents will be able to block Meta bots from talking to their children under new safeguards
- theguardian Labour’s housing hypocrisy: councils serve almost 200 families with no-fault eviction notices
- theguardian It could cost over €5 million for the HSE to dispose of handwash bought during the pandemic
- thejournal ‘A glimpse of genius’: what do unpublished stories found in Harper Lee’s apartment tell us about the To Kill a Mockingbird author?
- theguardian Champagne, celebs and artefacts: British Museum hosts first lavish ‘pink ball’ fundraiser
- theguardian Revealed: UK Foreign Office staff pushed for Israel trip despite suspension of trade talks
- theguardian Connolly has captured young voters attention - but will it translate to the ballot paper?
- thejournal Shows such as Stranger Things and Yellowjackets have become bloated. I’m all for the one-and-done series | Priya Elan
- theguardian Unbeaten England eye place in semi-finals but results have masked woeful batting displays | Raf Nicholson
- theguardian Benjamin Sesko is latest player damned by a pitiless conveyor belt of takes and memes | Jonathan Liew
- theguardian Modular home builder in Co Cavan closes factory, citing lack of work in Irish housing market
- thejournal Nobody Wants This: we can’t get enough of Kristen Bell and Adam Brody’s heartstopping treat of a show
- theguardian A prophetic 1933 novel has found a surprising second life – it holds lessons for us all | Charlotte Higgins
- theguardian Tim Dowling: I’m in Greece with my band and the weather’s awful … but I can’t complain
- theguardian Meera Sodha’s recipe for jacket sweet potato with smoked tofu, slaw and crispy chilli mayo | Meera Sodha recipes
- theguardian Anger at Maccabi ban shows power of sport and why fans now expect more from its leaders | Paul MacInnes
- theguardian ‘London could 100% compete with Cannes’: Aids charity UK gala debut to honour Tracey Emin
- theguardian Fox News employees expressed concerns network was intentionally aiding Trump, legal filings reveal
- theguardian ‘I like to create chaos’: David Bentley back in spotlight for charity boxing bout with Jody Morris
- theguardian Six great reads: Virginia Giuffre’s story, the truth about chatfishing, and Peter Thiel’s search for the antichrist
- theguardian From After the Hunt to the Last Dinner Party: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
- theguardian ‘You’re in spy territory’: how two UK nationals got tangled in a Chinese espionage row
- theguardian ‘£30 for a ready meal?!’ Do Charlie Bigham’s new dishes really beat going to a restaurant?
- theguardian Israel says it has received body of another hostage from Gaza amid dispute over handover delays
- theguardian Breathtaking, unsettling, healing: a new exhibit by Black US artists transforms Confederate monuments
- theguardian Rowe and Payne: finish line in sight for aptly named British duo rowing nonstop from Peru to Australia
- theguardian Adverts calling for Irish construction workers to return home are popping up in Australia
- thejournal
Vivienne Westwood headlining Riyadh fashion week would be against her values, says granddaughter
- theguardian‘We’re ripping ourselves to shreds’: with dance music bitterly divided, how far should cultural boycotts go?
- theguardian‘Please can I have a million pounds?’: inside a documentary maker’s wild attempt to strike it rich in 90 days
- theguardian‘Smell is a language’: Máret Ánne Sara on why Tate’s Turbine Hall whiffs of frightened reindeer
- theguardianA notorious nude and pages from the Guardian? Claire Fontaine’s dazzling show has got the lot!
- theguardian
Playboy, fighter, golfer and wearer of a George Washington wig: Donald Trump’s best magazine covers
- theguardian Football Daily | Liverpool v Manchester United: red rivals, green goalies and transfer blues
- theguardian Taxi driver who admitted having sex with vulnerable female passenger has cab licence reinstated
- thejournal Whether you’re in the C of E or the Taliban, some convictions are simply bigoted | Letters
- theguardian ‘The kids call it Cabin Eile’: Viral rap stars Kabin Crew expand creative space in Cork
- thejournal Overdose in America: analysis reveals deaths rising in some regions even as US sees national decline
- theguardian Whatsapp and Pinterest ordered to prevent spread of terrorist content on their platforms in Ireland
- thejournal Many people go their whole lives without seeing a platypus in the wild. We just saw four in one night
- theguardian Right hair, right now: top stylists on the products they use themselves – and ones to avoid
- theguardian Punish Prince Andrew? This is no meritocracy, I’m afraid – you get the royal family you didn’t vote for | Marina Hyde
- theguardian Court case brought against roadworks company after Mullan family deaths in Donegal incident
- thejournal Starmer says it is wrong decision to ban fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending Aston Villa game
- thejournal Overconsumption and ruin: before and after images predict how tech could harm our planet
- theguardian Close to €290,000 in both euro and sterling seized during Newry raid on cross-border crime group
- thejournal The sale of the Telegraph is not trivial matter. A mainstream media in the grip of the right is a threat to us all | Jane Martinson
- theguardian Trump’s peace plan is just about holding together, but may be unravelled by two unresolved issues | Rajan Menon
- theguardian Fifty-five child victims of online sexual abuse identified by Gardaí in the last fifteen months
- thejournal Add to playlist: Conna Haraway’s deeply detailed dub techno and the week’s best new tracks
- theguardian Sadia Kabeya: ‘Meeting other players who look like me brought me out of my shell – I can be myself now’
- theguardian Aontú scraps no confidence motion but says it ‘succeeded’ in pressuring government on scoliosis
- thejournal Britain’s colonial botany, tiny landscapes and great bohemian outlaws – the week in art
- theguardian Sons review – Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton’s riveting showdown rescues a laborious plot
- theguardian King Charles to be first reigning English monarch in 500 years to pray publicly with pope
- theguardian Syria and Shane O’Farrell: Connolly and Humphreys pressed on key controversies in latest debate
- thejournal Sources