30 JANUARY 1971, page 18

The Thrush's Nest

(for Michael Kinsella) Bramble, like barbed wire, Stitches the thicket tight, laces A net of leaves against the Sun: only the birds can pass. Pinned high where the twigs Cross,......

John Lucas On Dickens Criticism

There is a moment in William Morris's News From Nowhere when the narrator, who has been projected into a visionary Utopia of ideal democracy, suddenly recalls 'the sordid......

David Hare On Crime Fiction

Ripley Under Ground Patricia Highsmith (Heinemann 35s) The Badger's Daughter Robert Crawford (Constable 25s) Twelve years back The Talented Mr Ripley was made into a very good......