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Betul Dogan Akkas

March 25th, 2020, book review: qatar and the gulf crisis by kristian coates ulrichsen.

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Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

In  Qatar and the Gulf Crisis ,  Kristian Coates Ulrichsen offers an account of the Gulf c risis that erupted on 5 June 2017, focusing particularly on the measures and initiatives developed by Qatari policymakers, citizens and residents in response to the blockade. In providing comprehensive and nuanced detail on the contested regional issues at stake, this is an essential book for anyone looking for an entry point into understanding the Gulf crisis, writes Betul Dogan Akkas . 

Qatar and the Gulf Crisis . Kristian Coates Ulrichsen. Hurst. 2020.

The book sheds light on the Gulf crisis and the reactions of Qatari policymakers over nine chapters, divided into three parts. In the introductory section, Ulrichsen clarifies that ‘most English-language reporting and analysis of the Gulf Crisis has focused on precisely those questions of regional geopolitics that have framed the standoff in terms of its impact on mainly Western interests in the Gulf’ (5). Instead, the book indicates an unfolded approach to the crisis, discussing ‘how Qatari decision-makers, and the citizens and residents of Qatar themselves, responded to the blockade with measures and initiatives’ (5).

The introduction establishes the book’s stance on the role of US policymaking in the crisis process, referring specifically to Donald Trump. Ulrichsen defines the presidency of Trump as ‘lacking any real sense of foreign policy’ (5) and ‘making the superpower vulnerable’ (5). Starting from the introduction, the book clarifies Trump’s impact on the Gulf crisis step by step, which was designed in a triangle by the President himself, his adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and the UAE’s and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Princes (MbZ and MbS, respectively), bypassing traditional tools of diplomacy (such as by discussing issues on WhatsApp) and blindsiding the rest of the decision-making team (namely, Rex Tillerson).

The 2017 embargo is displayed as a process that includes multidimensional tensions among the Arab Quartet states and Qatar. Three chapters in Part One are mainly devoted to informing the reader about the historical transformation of issues (‘ Background and Context’ ) , the initial manifestation of contradictory stances in 2013 and 2014 ( ‘The 2014 Rift’ ) and, finally, the eruption of the embargo (‘ The Blockade’ ). Although the book is primarily addressing experts, scholars and students of Gulf Studies with its wealth of details, Part One can be an opening on to the topic for readers who are not as familiar with Qatar’s political history in illustrating nation-state formation processes, Qatar’s autonomy and regional tensions over resources and borders. This historical perspective helps the reader to understand how neighbour states (plus Egypt) reached a point of siege over Qatar in the current crisis. In addition, the succession of leaders and question marks over the young generation of rulers is touched on in this section (55), raising awareness of the potential complexities of leadership changes in the Gulf’s political future.

Part Two, positioned by Ulrichsen as the ‘backbone of this book’ (103), is dedicated to outlining the strategies and responses of the Qatari state towards the blockade in five main areas; Politics and Security; Economy and Trade; Energy and Infrastructure; Regional and Foreign Affairs; and Defense and Security. Each of these accounts of how the Qatari ruling elites have institutionally responded to the siege could form a book-length discussion alone; however, Ulrichsen adroitly summarises policies in these sub-fields, bringing together various sources on the siege, ranging from academic analysis, reports, news, online sources and interviews. Part Two therefore helps readers navigate information overload when it comes to understanding the crisis, integrating the list of thirteen demands proposed by the Arab Quartet states with Qatar’s strategies to overcome the embargo.

Chapter Four, ‘Politics and Society’, mainly depicts Qatari voices through reactions to the blockade regarding, firstly, state-level responses in official statements by the political elites and institutional responses canalised at international level through the National Human Rights Committee, the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, the Doha International Family Institute, the Council of International Civil Aviation and the World Trade Organisation. Secondly, the societal reactions of Qatari nationals and residents are combined with policies to manage the legitimacy aspect of the crisis. The iconic ‘Tamim the Glorious’ image of Sheikh Tamim by Qatari artist Ahmed bin Majed Almaadheed going viral and subsequently being drawn on solidarity walls is discussed as an example of raising public support for the Qatari state, despite the efforts of the Arab Quartet to sow internal unrest in the oil monarchy.

The ‘Economy and Trade’ section summarises how the Qatari state was taking precautions to decrease economic risks and financial volatilities by raising or re-directing investment incentives and restructuring trade routes. Domestic production is another aspect of the state’s strategies after the crisis, and this has not only motivated local entrepreneurs (like Baladna, the largest local dairy producer that has raised its production after the siege),  but has also provided social support with ‘Made in Qatar’ labels on local products (133).

Chapter Six, ‘Energy and Infrastructure’, shares an interesting detail on Qatar’s energy diplomacy and reactions to the blockade states. Ulrichsen states that the siege ‘left untouched the gas pipeline that ran between Ras Laffan and Taweelah in Abu Dhabi’ (165), although Qatar could decline its role in this energy collaboration (claiming force majeure ) and put the Emirati state in a difficult situation in the middle of summer when the need for electricity is at its peak for air conditioning. Nevertheless, Ulrichsen remarks that this would be a collective penalty, including the residents of the UAE for an action conducted by the political elites, and would give further reason to the UAE to escalate the crisis; Qatar preferred not to approach policymaking based on ‘emotions’, the Qatari Foreign Minister stated.  The following part of the study brings a notable comment from the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, on Qatar’s decision to not suspend joint energy projects: namely, because they are ‘commercial commitments with proper frameworks’ (166). The book thus properly presents the dilemmas and contradictions over the legal duties of the parties involved.

Chapter Seven, ‘Regional and Foreign Affairs’, illustrates striking examples of regional disagreements and alliances since the Arab Spring era. Ulrichsen argues that Qatar has been coordinating with the GCC countries to ease the tensions that erupted in 2013; however, Qatar’s bandwagoning to regional states did not prevent further escalation, which was also tied up in changing practices of power and influence in the region. While briefly assessing Qatar’s regional role as a small state or subtle power in comparison with the examples of Singapore and Dubai, the book mainly discusses its collaborative approaches with the Taliban, the US, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (mainly in Gaza) as well as public diplomacy efforts (under the supervision of the Government Communications Office) and lobbying.

The last chapter for the assessment of Qatar’s state-level responses to the siege is on ‘Defense and Security’. This primarily represents how Qatar is strengthening existing cooperation with Western powers, while diversifying its military cooperation through new ties with countries like Turkey, Russia and China and through improving its national defence industry (for instance, Barzan Holdings is a national company under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence that is empowering national military capabilities).

The final chapter, ‘Looking Ahead to 2022’, problematises Qatar’s road to hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022. This primarily focuses on Qatar’s initiatives to manage challenges posed at the international level for its status as host. The launch of the Saudi sports channel beoutQ as a rival to the Qatari BeIN sports, the lobbying against Qatar’s hosting, Qatar’s responses to hostile media outlets and issues of labour rights and the kafala system (a sponsorship system that determines the relationship between employers and migrant workers) are all highlighted in this part.

As a minor note, the book’s knowledge-intensive approach could be extended by further theorising of the issues surrounded the Gulf crisis of 2017, as the literature is in need of such conceptualisation.  Intra-state rivalries and the diverse political stances of the member states of the GCC are central in discussing the nature of the Gulf’s controversial political strain. Nevertheless, the processes of the Gulf crisis could be elaborated through theoretical approaches relating to regionalism, the leadership crisis and the construction of distinct hegemonies in the Gulf.

Ulrichsen aptly states his position regarding the end of this unanticipated regional crisis, writing that ‘the blockade is more likely to recede gradually into the background rather than end with a formal announcement or deal’ (253). Ulrichsen further portrays the impact of nationalist discourses among the leaders of Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia and how the use of ‘venomous media and social media’ (255) to represent this narrative in the region ‘complicates the repairing of fractured regional relations within the crisis’ (255). The closing remarks of the book emphasises how the ‘unorthodox presidency of Donald Trump’ also triggers controversial aspects of the fragile Gulf politics, escalating regional tensions and vulnerabilities.

Ultimately, Ulrichsen has written an essential book for anyone who is looking for an entry into the Gulf crisis or for a comprehensive read on this regional tension. Perhaps the most valuable contribution of the study is its nuanced understanding of contested regional issues that have led to the crisis and its conceptualisation of all the overwhelmingly detailed processes of the siege. Qatar and the Gulf Crisis does not aim to bring new ideas to the embargo, but rather to clearly present a compelling and consistent summary of abundant information, which the book certainly achieves.

Note: This review gives the views of the author, and not the position of the LSE Review of Books blog, or of the London School of Economics. The LSE RB blog may receive a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through the above  Amazon  affiliate link. This is entirely independent of the coverage of the book on LSE Review of Books.

Image Credit: Doha skyline, Qatar ( Francisco Anzola CC BY 2.0 ).

About the author

Betul Dogan Akkas is a PhD candidate in the joint degree programme between Qatar University Gulf Studies Center and Durham University School of Government and International Affairs. She obtained her MA degree with her thesis titled ‘Securitization of Qatari Foreign Policy’ at Qatar University. Dogan Akkas completed her BA in International Relations at Bilkent University. Her research interests include foreign policymaking, security and social transformation of the Gulf Countries.

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Qatar and the Gulf Crisis

Kristian coates ulrichsen.

A scrupulously researched analysis of the ongoing attempt by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to turn Qatar into a vassal state.

Description

In 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, launching an economic blockade by land, air and sea. The self-proclaimed ‘Anti-Terror Quartet’ offered maximalist demands: thirteen ‘conditions’ recalling Austria-Hungary’s 1914 ultimatum to Serbia. They may even have intended military action.

Well into its second year, the standoff in the Gulf has no realistic end in sight. With the Bahraini and Emirati criminalisation of expressing support for Qatar, and the Saudi labelling of detainees as ‘traitors’ for their alleged Qatari links, bitterness has been stoked between deeply interconnected peoples. The adviser to the Saudi crown prince advocating a moat to physically separate Qatar from the Arabian Peninsula illustrates the ongoing intensity—and irrationality—of the crisis.

Most reporting and analysis of these developments has focused on questions of regional geopolitics, and framed the standoff in terms of its impact on (largely) Western interests. Lost in this thicket of commentary is consideration of how the Qatari leadership and population have responded to the blockade. As the 2022 FIFA World Cup draws closer, the ongoing Qatar crisis becomes increasingly important to understand. Ulrichsen offers an authoritative study of this international standoff, from both sides.

‘This account moves from origin to (almost) conclusion, capturing how badly [economic and political embargoes] backfired, strengthening Qatar’s independence and global standing.’ —  The New York Times , ‘5 Books to Read About Qatar Before the World Cup’

‘[ Qatar and the Gulf Crisis  is] a detailed and thoughtful book.’ —  The World Today

‘A rich and valuable resource for readers wanting to understand the intricacies of one of the most critical junctures in recent Gulf history.’ —  International Affairs

‘Ulrichsen has written an essential book for anyone looking for an entry into the Gulf crisis or for a comprehensive read on this regional tension … Qatar and the Gulf Crisis [presents] a compelling and consistent summary of abundant information.’ — LSE Review of Books

‘A brilliant account of the history, origins and evolution of the Gulf crisis—drawing meticulously upon media and academic sources, and direct interviews with leading protagonists in the region, Ulrichsen once again confirms himself as an outstanding observer of Gulf politics today.’ — Adam Hanieh, SOAS University of London, author of Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East

‘Ulrichsen draws on an impressive range of sources in order to provide a panoramic account of contemporary power politics across the Gulf. This important and timely book deserves to be read by anyone seeking to understand the intricacies of the Qatar diplomatic crisis.’ — Gerasimos Tsourapas, Senior Lecturer in Middle East Politics, University of Birmingham

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen is Fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, and an associate fellow of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. His books with Hurst include Qatar and the Gulf Crisis and Centers of Power in the Arab Gulf States . He supports West Ham.

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Literature and Arts from the Center of the World

Did You Say Doha? (Books to Get You Started On Qatar)

Interior of the National Library of Qatar in Doha (photo Shakeel).

By Rana Asfour

Academics seem to agree that Qatari literature dates back to the 19 th century, a period in which poetry was the main form of expression, with verses centered on the vocations of fishing and pearl-diving. The country’s discovery of oil in the mid-20 th century saw many Qataris discard their Bedouin traditions and practices to transition into a more urban lifestyle. As such, literature became divided into two periods: one before the oil period, dominated by poetry; and another, following the discovery of oil, that saw the emergence and predominance of the short story and the novel.

The increased prosperity of the country allowed for the introduction of formal education as well as the chance for Qataris to travel abroad to attend higher institutes of education. The rise in literacy meant that literature, in all its forms, could now be written down by more people. With Qataris’ increased wealth and mobility of travel, Qatari literature was soon emulating the writing styles and practices of neighboring countries with more established literary cultures, such as Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon.

Despite its declining dominance, poetry has remained a long-honored genre even in the 21 st century, most notably during the 2010 uprisings in the region, which witnessed the re-emergence of political poetry. Qatari poet Mohammed al-Ajami was imprisoned in 2012 allegedly for publicly reading a poem in which he criticized Qatar’s emir.  He was finally released in March 2016, after four years of detention.

Short stories became more prominent in the 1970s. By then, calls for improving the social standing of Qatari women were in full force. In 1978, Kaltham Jaber became the first Qatari woman to author an anthology of short stories; Ania wa Ghabat as-Samt wa at-Taraddud focused on advocating that Qatari women have a role in restructuring social norms and cultural conceptions. Other vocal proponents of women’s rights included short story writers Umm Aktham (the pseudonym of Fatimah Turki), Mai Salem, Abeer Al Suwaidi, and Noura Al Saad.

Since the 2000s most Qatari novels explore topics of social change, cultural alienation, and political issues, many of which are expressed through fictitious autobiographies, personal experiences and historical re-imaginings. Many have been translated into English and all the books listed below fall into this category.

The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al-Maria (Harper Perennial, 2012).

Seattle-born Sophia Al-Maria is an award-winning filmmaker, artist and writer. Her work has been exhibited at the Gwangju Biennale, the New Museum in New York, and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. She works with the concept of “Gulf Futurism” (a term she coined) and the inkling that the state of the contemporary Arabian Gulf is a premonition of the global future.

The Girl Who Fell to Earth  is an intimate and wry coming-of-age memoir about a woman growing up between what she describes as her “redneck family in Washington State” and “her Bedouin family in Qatar” while touching on the Gulf War, 9/11, increased Islamophobia in the US, and other moments of social and cultural upheaval in the Arab region as the tale moves between Qatar, US and Cairo.

When her father takes a second wife, Al-Maria and her mother (a converter to Islam) return to America where Sophia spends part of her childhood on her grandmother’s farm in Washington State. By the time she is in fifth grade, she feels suffocated by her mother’s paranoia of strangers. With tensions mounting she seeks freedom in her Bedouin father’s multi-generational home in Qatar where women were substituting their bright calico dresses and pierced noses and long braids, with black veils covering their whole bodies “to protect their honor and identities,” now that the Bedouins lived in closer proximity to neighbors “with forked tongues” following the discovery of oil and their reallocation, by the government, into settlements.

As she grapples to find her footing between modernity and tradition in a Gulf state, experiencing what Al-Maria describes as the Bedouins’ “long, slow retreat into the concrete domesticity of modern sedentary life,” and “where all of the Gulf had a bad case of nouveaux riches,” she is haunted by the feeling that she is perpetually in exile.

After finishing high school at an American school in Qatar, the author moves to Cairo where she is “cat-called, dirty-talked, insulted, felt-up, slapped, hotly breathed upon and groped,” until, in the mountains of Sinai, she is finally able to liberate herself from the burden of her mother’s “pragmatic ideals of manifest destiny” and her father’s “deep belief in the precision of Allah’s intention” to find her way to a home that has always eluded her.

This is a searing memoir about colliding cultures, immigration, religion, loss, healing and family as Al-Maria takes her readers on an intimate journey into how we find ourselves through love, distance, and heartbreak.

The Corsair by Abdulaziz Al Mahmoud (Bloomsbury US, 2013).

Set in the 19 th century, The Corsair is a historical debut novel by Qatari engineer and journalist Abdulaziz Al Mahmoud, who was inspired by a book, Coast of Pirates , that he found in a library in Lincolnshire in the UK. The novel sheds light on an overlooked period in the history of the region during the bloody and violent power struggle between the British Empire, keen on protecting its East India Company ships, and the dissenting Gulf Arab tribes, particularly those following the Wahhabi strain of Salafi Islam.

The novel revolves around Erhama bin Jaber, who is based loosely on the notorious pirate Rahmah ibn Jaber al-Jalhami. The latter intercepted a British ship carrying a priceless Indian sword as a gift from the British High Commissioner in India to Ibrahim Pasha, commander of the Egyptian armies, to persuade Egypt to join an international alliance with Oman and Persia to fight the Wahhabis in a bid to suppress tribal rebellions in Najd and Hijaz, modern-day Saudi Arabia.

In an interview with the Arabic channel Asmar Wa Afkar, Al-Mahmoud pointed out that the reason he wrote The Corsair was because he wanted to relay the history of the region from a Khaleeji perspective. “Most of what we know about the region in the 19 th century comes from western books and particularly the main character of the novel Erhama bin Jaber who is cited as an outlaw and a criminal. It’s true that he was no angel, and yet based on the stories that exist in the collective and popular consciousness of the Arabian Gulf, Al-Jalhami (who Erhama is based on) was known to be fiercely patriotic, chivalrous, and generous. He was also a skilled war strategist. Many, to this day, regard him as a national hero for his defiance of foreign colonialist rule in the region.”

Al-Mahmoud, who has worked as editor-in-chief of Alsharq and The Peninsula newspapers as well as  aljazeera.net , skilfully employs time, place, characters, and structure to tell a tale of high-seas piracy, political intrigue, unexpected kinships, and personal betrayals that serve to extend Qatari national history.

Qatari Voices by Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar (Bloomsbury Qatar, 2010)

This anthology includes the work of 25 young creative Qatari authors. The essays and stories are intimate glimpses of old reminiscences and longings for the simple past, concerns about a challenging present, and aspirations for the future. They also tackle sensitive issues such as arranged marriages and gender discrimination.

In the introduction, the editors write that “the personal essay has been a thriving writing form for over two thousand years, inviting the reader to eavesdrop on the writer’s mind as it meanders on a given topic or issue. A good essayist, like a good writer in any genre, seeks to cultivate an engaging voice, illuminate through concrete example, and transport the reader from an individual to a universal perspective. For aspiring writers in Qatar, the essay has proven to be a powerful vehicle for self-expression and dialogue in the public sphere.”

Other books by Rajakumar have focused on various aspects of life in Qatar.  From Dunes to Dior is a collection of essays related to her experiences as a female South Asian American living in the Arabian Gulf. Her literary romance novel Love Comes Later is set in Qatar and London, and her novel The Dohmestics (2014)   is an inside look into compound life in Qatar and the day-to-day dynamics between housemaids and their employers.

Nouhad Wadie’ Haddad, known as Fairouz, is a Lebanese singer considered one of the leading vocalists and most famous singers in the history of the Arab world. She is the musical icon of Lebanon and is popularly known as “the soul of Lebanon” and the voice of hope. Having recorded over 1,500 songs and sold over 100 million records, her body of work is vast and globally admired.

After the Port Explosion in Beirut on August 4, 2020, in which over 200 people were killed and thousands lost their homes, it was to Fairouz’s home that French President Emmanuel Macron headed to bestow upon the singer France’s highest award, the Legion of Honour.

Fairouz is known for her ability to transcend boundaries of nation, religion and political affiliation; Fairouz and the Diaspora by Senior Lecturer Dima Issa at Balamand University in Lebanon, explores the role of Fairouz’s music in creating a sense of Arab identity amidst a changing political and economic context.

Based on two years of research, including 60 interviews, her book takes an ethnographic approach, focusing on audience reception of Fairouz’s music among the Arab diasporas of London and Doha. It shows that, for many of the Lebanese music icon’s followers there, talking about Fairouz often means discussing diasporic life and bringing to the surface notions of Arabness and authenticity, presence and absence, naturalization and citizenship, and gender. Conversations with the research respondents shed light on the idea of iltizam  (commitment), or how members of the Arab diaspora hold on to attributes that they feel define and differentiate them from others.

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London Review of Books International Fellowship 2024-25

Beginning October 23, 2023, the Harry Ransom Center welcomes applications in partnership with the London Review of Books (LRB) for an inaugural international fellowship that requires on-site consultation of the Ransom Center's LRB Collection.

The application deadline is January 15, 2024.

The program, a collaboration between the London Review of Books and the Harry Ransom Center, supports research and extensive consultation of the London Review of Books materials and related collections. This opportunity offers one scholar, journalist, historian, educator, artist, or other professional from anywhere in the world the chance to support their research or creative work with a fellowship of one to three months, including a stipend of $3,500 per month (and an additional one-time stipend of $500 for fellows traveling internationally). Research and engagement with London Review of Books archive, potentially alongside other collections at the Center, is required. The residency for the 2024-2025 fellowship must be completed anytime between September 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025.

About the LRB Archive

The archive of the London Review of Books at the Center is comprised of two main categories of material: editorial files relating to the compilation of every issue of the magazine, published 24 times a year since September 1979 (over 1000 issues in total); and year-by-year correspondence concerning the commissioning of the reviews, essays and poems that make up each issue, along with other aspects of the paper's daily business. These reflect the LRB' s growth, over the years, from a team of four working on an insert for the New York Review of Books , into one of the UK's leading cultural journals and literary brands.

Particular strengths of the archive, which are therefore particularly suggestive of research uses, include:

• English-speaking literary culture since 1979, especially the practice, and leading practitioners (and editing, and leading editors), of the extended book review and literary essay;
• the history of magazines, and transatlantic literary journals in particular;
• evolving trends in literary and other (mostly humanities-based) scholarship;
• major historical events since 1979, and the way they have been interpreted and debated by leading intellectuals.

For more on the structure of the collection and its most high-profile writers, please review this description and preliminary inventory . A detailed introduction to, and background notes on, some highlights of the archive can be found in London Review of Books: An Incomplete History (Faber, 2019) published to mark the 40th anniversary of the paper, including a selection of high-resolution scans. Sam Kinchin-Smith, who compiled that volume, gave a lecture to the British Studies Seminar at the University of Texas in 2020, about the project and the LRB archive, which can be heard here: https://podcasts.la.utexas.edu/british-studies-lecture-series/podcast/the-london-review-of-books . Please also take the time to learn about the Ransom Center's Materials Use Policies .

Applicants may contact Sam Kinchin-Smith or Harry Ransom Center Reference with specific inquiries about the LRB collection.

Eligibility and Applications Instructions

Applicants must have a demonstrable record of publication and/or achievement founded on, or that will clearly be further developed through, archival research. A complete application consists of a three-page proposal and one letter of recommendation as outlined below. These materials must be emailed to [email protected] by the deadline, January 15, 2024, before noon CST .

We ask that the three-page proposal be in English and submitted as a single PDF file. Files longer than three pages will not be accepted. Required: Each page should include your last name in the top-right corner and be formatted with one-inch margins and a sans-serif or serif font size of 11 pt.

Page One The first page of your proposal should provide your name, organizational affiliation (if you have one), project title, and requested duration of residency, followed by a summary of the proposed research project. Keep in mind that research topics and their significance should be thoroughly explained and placed in the context of the larger field of study. Please also describe the anticipated result of the project (e.g. article, book, edited volume, film, or other work).

Page Two The second page of your proposal should provide a detailed account of your anticipated use of the London Review of Books collections. Describe the materials you will consult, their relevance to the project, and why these materials must be consulted on-site during the residency. In general, proposals must clearly convey the feasibility of a project, identify the required containers, boxes, and folders from the LRB collection and explain how the collection informs the larger project.

Page Three The third page of your proposal should consist of an abbreviated curriculum vitae emphasizing relevant work, including publications. Previous recipients of Ransom Center fellowships should include results of fellowship-supported research.

Letter of Recommendation

Applications must include one letter of recommendation, which should come from a supervisor or colleague thoroughly familiar with the applicant's strengths in research and/or professional achievement. The letter of recommendation must be in English and bear the referee's signature. It should be submitted by the referee as a PDF to [email protected] .The deadline for the application materials also applies to the letter of recommendation.

Announcement of Decisions and Residency

LRB fellowship applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications by the Harry Ransom Center in late spring of 2024. The LRB fellowship recipient will be required to review and complete the following items for their residency at the Ransom Center. Prospective LRB fellows may choose to review these items for planning purposes. Please be aware that these items are not part of the application process.

The following guidelines contain essential information about the LRB fellowship residency at the Ransom Center, and must be reviewed by the LRB fellows.

• Visiting Scholar Guidelines (PDF)

The Visiting Scholar Guidelines provide specific instructions for their completion.

• Visiting Scholar Acceptance Letter (PDF)
• Nonemployee Research Affiliate Agreement (PDF)
• Photocopy of the photo/information page of valid passport

The Fellowship Coordinator will provide these documents electronically via DocuSign (confidential and data-encrypted) once the scholar has provided informal confirmation of their acceptance via email. We cannot accept fellowship paperwork, which may include your personal information, by email attachment.

As noted in the Visiting Scholar Guidelines , fellows are responsible for making their own lodging arrangements. The following guide to short-term housing options in Austin is maintained as a courtesy for our visitors, but we cannot endorse any particular establishment.

• Guide to Austin Housing (PDF)

Please also be aware that it is not necessary to select your lodgings from this guide. Please make your housing arrangements as soon as possible. Accommodations frequently fill months in advance.

Questions about the required fellowship paperwork or about the fellowship residency may be directed to: [email protected]

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How I used to love and now hate the London Review of Books

Speaking words of wisdom, LRB

I would read the London Review of Books from front to back. I had to read it all, from front to back. I couldn’t miss any part of what I then saw as the absolute requirement of reading the London Review of Books and absorbing all of the information contained in the London Review of Book s (excluding classifieds and incidental advertising about books, copywriters, book-based dating etc). 

I certainly couldn’t dip in and out of the London Review of Books . The London Review of Books told me, so I thought, everything that I needed to know. The best people would provide me with the best information about what I needed to know. It was a joy and my mind expanded and my taste developed and I became a refined intellectual.

I couldn’t read fast enough to keep up

This reading of each and every London Review of Books ended up making me very anxious ; or perhaps, my latent anxiety overwhelmed my joy of reading the London Review of Books . I couldn’t read fast enough to keep up with the bi-weekly production of these reviews of books.

I was reading nothing other than reviews of books in the London Review of Books . I had no remaining time to read the books they were reviews of, nor any other book. I no longer took any joy in the London Review of Books; it simply became a task or duty to read each copy before the next was delivered , and I began to skim read and hated myself for skim reading the London Review of Books , because I loved the London Review of Books .

Copies of the London Review of Books in their cellophane wrapping piled up , and I began to be frightened of them, frightened of the reading demands the London Review of Books was placing on me. 

Eventually I had to stop reading the London Review of Books , and the pile of London Review of Books filled a drawer which I kept entirely for the London Review of Books . I terminated my subscription because I could not accept reading the London Review of Books without reading it front to back (excluding classifieds , and incidental advertising etc). I couldn’t touch a copy for years , and refused offers from friends of their (used and filthy) copies of the London Review of Books ; those friends who couldn’t throw away their own copies due to the high status of the London Review of Books , and its high cost.

This year, after having said how I used to love and now hated the London Review of Books and couldn’t handle my subscription to it and would never want another one, my neighbour subscribed me behind my back and for free to the London Review of Books ; a free gift subscription . They were delivered to my home, now sealed in a paper envelope rather than the cellophane ( environmental responsibility ).

I opened the London Review of Books , the first I had opened for ten years , and prepared myself for a front to back read. I liked how folded it was , and how much better it was to read a fresh copy than the used (filthy) copies which had been pushed on me by friends who primarily wanted to indicate to me that they read the London Review of Books by offering their (used and filthy) copies  — thinking that I respected the London Review of Books and its users. 

I began reading and my attention wouldn’t hold. I skipped ahead and read half of one article, a line of another, a title of another. I tried to read the poetry and I still couldn’t understand a single line of it , and had no will to try.

Whereas before I could only think TJClarkPerryAndersonTariqAliNealAscherson thoughts, now I could think of no such London Review of Book thoughts, not even Mar iaWarnerJohnLanchesterJamesButlerAdam Mar sJones thoughts could enter my brain. My brain could take in no London Review of Books information , and could form no London Review of Books thoughts.

All this learning was in two dimensions

I considered what was wrong. Part of it was that every article was written in a this is how things are tone, all so tasteful and knowledgeable and clever. Yes, I knew that I would learn a lot, but it felt like all this learning was in two dimensions. It was a very narrow field. 

I considered: I had read the London Review of Books in order to belong to the LRB club and the knowledge I had wanted to acquire was wholly in order to become a member of this club. And the way the London Review of Books reviewers write — their style — is that of the self-assurance of a certain sort of group of people who are self-assured , or who want to write and be read among — and be among — those who are self-assured.

I reflected that England is one big private members club , and the LRB is just a part of this club (the letters “ LRB ” being a spoken code to enter that club). I discovered that this LRB club wasn’t in Bloomsbury, but in Hampstead , and I discovered that having been invited to play croquet on Hampstead Heath, in the Hampstead Heath Croquet Association, in which the words “elle are bee” occurred frequently.

I don’t want someone writing to me as if I were a member of their club , or want to be a member of their club. Everything in this country is a private members club, in which cordial agreement, shared references , and a shared picture of the world is required. A shared belief in what are the right views about the right subjects is required. These people — you? — know the facts and know how to pronounce the facts in the right way. Each article, each sentence of the LRB asks: are you a member of our club? aren’t you a member of our club? Club members look down from their vast knowledge, supported by the vast institutions of their education and the vast institutions of their working life. LRB is a performance of Englishness, just as much as the Hampstead Croquet Association is — often attracting performances by those most insecure in their Englishness.

I reject this LRB club and I will not become a member of it and nor will I cancel my free subscription to the London Review of Books .

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Rainbow stripe waterproof picnic blanket with straps – with the british blanket company.

We have partnered with the British Blanket Company to commission a range of picnic blankets for the LRB Store.

100% wool with waterproof polyester back and leather straps.

Size: 145 cm x 183 cm    

Wash : Machine wash cold on a specialist wool cycle. Do not spin. Use mild detergent recommended for wool. Wash separately to avoid snagging. Dry : Remove from machine promptly. Reshape whilst damp, do not wring. Line dry or dry flat ensuring even weight distribution. Do not tumble dry. Maintain : Remove shedding fibres with a lint roller. Pilling (bobbles) may form in areas of friction and can be removed with a pilling comb. Loose fibres and pilling will reduce after first wash. Not recommended for areas of high wear.

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One Hundred Books for the Next Twenty Years

To mark the twentieth anniversary of the London Review Bookshop, we invited twenty writers close to our hearts to choose the five books they think we need to navigate the  next  twenty years.

About the LRB Store

The  London Review of Books   is Europe’s leading magazine of culture and ideas. Published twice a month, it provides a space for some of the world’s best writers to explore a wide variety of subjects in exhilarating detail – from art and politics to science and technology via history and philosophy, not to mention fiction and poetry. In the age of the long read, the LRB remains the pre-eminent exponent of the intellectual essay, admired around the world for its fearlessness, its range and its elegance.

The LRB Store is a new initiative to meet demand, from readers and fans around the world, for authentic  London Review of Books merchandise.

Before now, all of these products were exclusively available from the London Review Bookshop . We wanted to make them available to customers unable to travel to London – although we hope you’ll still pay us a visit, next time you have an opportunity to do so.

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The Bookshop

Opened in 2003 by the London Review of Books in the heart of Bloomsbury, just a Rosetta Stone’s throw from the British Museum, the London Review Bookshop has now established itself as an essential part of the capital’s cultural life, a place for people who love books to meet, talk, drink excellent tea and coffee, consume delicious food from the cake shop, and of course, browse.

Our selection of around 20,000 titles ranges from the classics of world literature to the cutting edge of contemporary fiction and poetry, not forgetting a copious display of history, politics, philosophy, cookery, essays, children’s books, science and natural history.

Our aim has always been to represent on our shelves the distinctive character of the Review – intelligent without being pompous; engaged without being partisan; fun without being frivolous.

 If you aren’t able to visit us in person, we hope our website will give you a flavour of what makes the shop unique. If you are able to join us in Bury Place, we look forward to finding you the books you need, and just as importantly, guiding you towards some new discoveries.

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We will be closed for our annual stocktake and the Easter weekend, Wednesday 27 March to Monday 1 April inclusive

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Our closest tube stations are:

• Holborn: 6 minute walk
• Tottenham Court Road: 7 minute walk
• Russell Square: 8 minute walk

The following bus routes pass within walking distance of the Bookshop.

• New Oxford Street: 1, 8, 19, 25, 38, 55, 98, 242
• Tottenham Court Road (northbound) / Gower Street (southbound): 14, 24, 29, 73, 134, 390
• Southampton Row: 59, 68, X68, 91, 168, 188

Please refer to individual routes on the  TFL Bus Routes page  to find the best stop and to check for diversions.

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• If you wish to use the  Santander Cycle Hire scheme , a docking station can be found on the corner of Great Russell Street and Montague Street.

If you're planning to visit by car, please be aware that the Bookshop doesn't offer parking facilities

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Find out more here about our expert team - who they are, what they're reading, what they like and what they don't.

Senior Bookseller and Returns co-ordinator

Ask Charlie about: music, biography, history, cultural studies, theatre, dance

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Ask Claire about: art, fiction, graphic novels, what’s coming up in the events calendar , hiring the shop

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Ask David about: everything, but particularly natural history, politics and economics, history, philosophy, crime, poetry

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Ask Gayle about: fiction, cookbooks, children’s books, photography, and graphic novels

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Ask John about: poetry, natural history, crime, his personal rankings of Mr Kipling cakes

Bookshop Retail Manager

Ask Natalia about: fiction, children’s, photography and feminist studies

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Long Day’s Journey Into Night review – Brian Cox upstaged by Patricia Clarkson’s morphine fiend

Wyndham’s theatre, London Cox is thrilling as an overbearing patriarch but it’s Clarkson who steals the show in Eugene O’Neill’s agonising family drama

T he overbearing patriarch in Eugene O’Neill’s semi-autobiographical drama is an actor who feels his career has been straitjacketed by typecasting. Could James Tyrone be speaking for Brian Cox too who, playing him, steps almost seamlessly from Succession’s paterfamilias to O’Neill’s flawed father marshalling obstreperous sons?

Even if so, Cox is, as always, thrilling to watch. Yet it is Patricia Clarkson as his “morphine fiend” of a wife, just returned from a sanatorium and tumbling back into addiction, who steals the show. Clarkson exudes vulnerability along with hard denial. For all the play’s period elements – it is set in 1912 – hers feels like a true, infuriating, compassionate portrait of an addict.

Tyrone is less textured, a disgruntled and judgmental father switching between anger, flecks of wry humour and expressions of love.

First staged posthumously in 1956 against O’Neill’s instruction that it not be dramatised for 25 years after his death, it might represent the gruelling apex of classic American dysfunction family dramas. We spend a day with the Tyrones, during the course of which the source of Mary’s addiction is revealed along with the family’s points of weakness and pain, from James’s tight-fistedness and tendencies towards drink to wrangles between his sons, Edmund (Laurie Kynaston), a failed poet with TB, and Jamie (Daryl McCormack), a failed actor and drunk.

Under Jeremy Herrin’s direction, the production does not seek to leaven the drama’s gloomy spirit: it is a long, talking play with little action delicately well-crafted which slides between domestic exchange and accusation, anger, emotional conflagration.

Here it is stripped to its elemental state as the family convene in their summer home and vacillate between love and hate. Anger is tempered by anxious love that ironically seem to fuel each other’s various addictions: parents wring their hands over Edmund’s illness, sons wring theirs over their mother’s soul-sapping addiction.

In one pique, Mary tells James the family house has never felt like a home and Lizzie Clachan’s set, spare and wooden, reflects her sentiment. It has the look of early American puritanism, Shaker-like in its simple lines, severe colour palette and sleek lighting (by Jack Knowles). There are doorways within doorways, it seems, which gesture towards Mary’s sense of being spied upon too, although the set-up, as empty as it is, does not quite carry a sense of over-heated crowdedness.

“There’s gloom in the air you could cut with a knife,” says James. He is right. This drama is so stark it seems almost Beckettian, despite its naturalism. Yet there is forgiveness and tenderness between the hard edges, especially between Mary and James – Cox and Clarkson have a lovely, natural chemistry. And although characters spiral into resentment and rage, they always return to love and togetherness, which makes this distinct from the emotional desolations of a Tennessee Williams drama.

Louisa Harland, for her part, is so effective as the family maid, Cathleen, that you want more of her. She lifts every scene she is in, turning a functional role into a comic highlight.

Some scenes glitter with dark energy, and are truly tragic. Others feel protracted, the play’s old-fashioned exposition exposed, and the over-used device of characters narrating memories feeling like lengthy confessions. The circularity of family argument and accusation, are grinding too, and do not always absorb us, emotionally.

At three and a half hours it feels withering. Then again, that is the point here. This is the ultimate family reckoning, with some light, but mostly shade.

• Eugene O'Neill
• Patricia Clarkson

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