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 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.

Through her insightful comparison of Fontane’s Effie Briest with Gabriele Reuter’s Aus guter Familie, German columnist Maddie Hazelden traces both the shelves of a bookshop and the history of literature in this intriguing critique of German literary practices.

In the first instalment of her column Berlin Bulletin, German columnist Sophie Clare begins to share the hidden sides of Germany’s capital. In her exhilarating account, Sophie takes us on a tour of Berlin’s history through the exciting story of Formula E at the world-famous Tempelhof air field.

In her first instalment of her column ‘Beyond Brave Little Blighty’, REECA editor Sofia Johanson considers filmic representations of Nazi occupation in Eastern and Western Europe, through the lens of Dutch and Polish examples.

In her second column on the epics, Hanna Simojoki shares a nuanced insight into the history and rediscovery of what is thought to be the world’s oldest literary masterpiece

In her first instalment of term, Columnist Hanna Simojoki shares an insight into the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala - its history, impact on Finnish culture, and relevance today