Arts and Culture

The French composer who grew up in a cult and found solace in the power of music

Sourdough bread has its place but when it comes to cheese toasties, sliced white is unbeatable

How the daughter of an art hero turned Soviet pariah kept his flame burning

Nearly 20 years after his death Sacha Distel is enjoying an afterlife through his music

We are deluded if we believe ourselves to be dogs' masters and mistresses

Football officialdom may be finally acknowledging that the brain is vulnerable to repeated knocks, even with their precious ball

I set out on a quest to find the grave of a someone I never knew, thanks to a book with a story

Why King Henry VIII’s ships, not his pets, may be why we call a part of East London the Isle of Dogs

Extra paperwork, border checks and additional costs for exports - Brexit has destroyed the livelihoods of countless musicians

A musical inspired by George Takei's early life has a tremendous emotional charge

In this cost-of-living crisis, and amidst this endlessly dreary, cold weather, few dishes will soothe and warm you more than fish pie

The Spanish giants are still determined to force a breakaway European Super League on us

He is little-known today, but when he died in 1952, thousands lined the streets of Paris to show respect. What happened to Paul Éluard?

Jerzy Skolimowski and a donkey team up to create an avant-garde classic

During 20 beer-free years a coldness crept throughout the collective British cellar – like some especially mundane effect – lacquering casks and bottles with condensation

How fascist leaders in Italy, Spain, Germany and Greece all tried to control the public by stifling linguistic variety

Europe has long provided the soundtrack to despair and desolation

An exhibition explores the life of the sculptor before and during her years in Cornwall

The Russian always insisted she could never envision a life without dancing

Two late works shed light on his four-decade link with a remarkable scientific institution

No one knows more about touring than Bill Kenwright and his production of The Shawshank Redemption is a typically accomplished affair

This production of Lillian Hellman’s play once again makes the point that the Donmar Warehouse is a centre of theatrical excellence

The French director's obsessive desire for perfection proved ultimately self-destructive

Gianluca Vialli was a man who chose his own paths and could articulate the reasons why

Snacking is so, so important. Prepare a batch of these and pour a beer

A new book tells the story of two of Britain’s most famous mystics

The work of four female artists in the Royal Academy’s Making Modernism show speaks volumes about their troubled lives

A captivating movie about a fruit-farming family is part of a new rural film trend

Over two decades since he sent shockwaves through the world’s sullen youth, Ville Valo is back with his debut solo album

Despite British perfidy over the protocol, and the reneging of basic humanitarian values when it comes to migration, the French seem more bemused than belligerent

Forget the purists – letting young Welsh speakers borrow words from English will help to preserve the language

The Cardigans' Nina Persson on Sweden, Britpop and getting back on the road