In this article, Geordie Cheetham looks at Houellebecq’s first published work, a biography of the American author H. P. Lovecraft. How does disgust with the modern world become a fitting object of literary study, when Houellebecq approvingly cites Lovecraft’s disdain for all forms of realism? And what does a corpse surrounded by shopping trolleys Nouvelles Galeries have to do with it?

We are told that love is a primal force: innate, ahistorical, transcendental and above society. But how can something be truly innate if it is a concept that exists within the act of telling? CLC Columnist Mila Edensor explores such intriguing questions in this excellent analysis of early modern Portuguese poetry. From the unrequited love of men in the late 1500s, to the ‘passport bro’ of today, Edensor skilfully explores what this obscure poetry can mean for us today.

In this intriguing column, CLC Columnist Geordie Cheetham expertly explores the man behind some of France’s most popular tales of anomie and despair: Michel Houellebecq.

In this entertaining excursion of an article, CLC columnist Freya John takes us on a culinary tour of Bilbao as she recounts her love affair with the ‘incredible, edible, small delights: pintxos.’

In the first instalment of her column, European columnist Freya John explores the mystery of Euskera, the language of the Basque Country. From its linguistic background, to its sociopolitical significance, John offers an insightful overview of this minor language.

In this new installment of the Berlin Bulletin, European columnist Sophie Clare takes us on a tour of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. From stadiums, to Savignyplatz, parks and palaces, and even David Bowie’s regular haunt, she covers it all in this gentle tour of just one Berlin district.