The Times Literary Supplement – 21 August 2026

Summary

Margaret Drabble on Joyce's politics and D.J. Taylor on the Tolkien haters — these cover lines frame The Times Literary Supplement August 21 2026, Number 6412, a 48-page issue that rides into the Arthurian legends on a 2-volume Cambridge History and then fans out across history, politics, biography, arts, fiction, science, psychology, and social studies.

The department structure is broad: literature, history, politics, biography, commentary, arts, fiction, science, psychology, social studies, religion, classics, poetry, and in brief. The Arthurian literature review by Marion Turner opens the book. Mark Thompson writes on William Empson and Virginia Woolf's diaries. D.J. Taylor argues Tolkien's critics miss the point. The arts section covers Frida Kahlo at Tate Modern and a new Game of Thrones stage adaptation. Fiction reviews include Rachel Cusk's Life of M, Colin Thubron's Passage, and Graeme Armstrong's Raveheart.

Content Guide

▸ Literature / Arthurian

p.3 · The Cambridge History of Arthurian Literature and Culture
Marion Turner reviews the 2-volume set edited by Raluca Radulescu and Andrew Lynch. The set spans Arthurian material from Celtic origins to 21st-century film. Turner notes that the chapter on Arthur in Japanese manga is the most original contribution. The set costs 275 pounds; the TLS review is the best 6-pound summary available.

p.18 · Bored of the Rings — D.J. Taylor on Tolkien and His Critics
Taylor defends Tolkien against literary critics who dismiss his work as juvenile. He cites the 2025 Oxford symposium on Tolkien's philology as evidence of renewed academic interest. Taylor argues that the 2024 publication of Tolkien's translation of Beowulf should end the "fantasy versus literature" debate.

▸ History / Politics

p.8 · Europe — Roderick Beaton's New History
Georgios Varouxakis reviews Beaton's single-volume history of Europe from antiquity to Brexit. The book emphasizes cultural exchange over military conflict. Varouxakis praises the chapter on the 1878 Congress of Berlin as the best in the book.

p.12 · Neither Confirm Nor Deny — John Ware on the British State
Paul Larkin reviews Ware's investigation of government secrecy. The book uses 14 Freedom of Information cases. Ware argues that the "neither confirm nor deny" doctrine has been applied to cases far beyond national security.

▸ Biography / Commentary

p.15 · James Joyce — Frank Callanan
Margaret Drabble reviews a new biography that focuses on Joyce's politics. Callanan argues that Joyce was more engaged with Irish republicanism than his apolitical reputation suggests. The biography uses Joyce's Trieste library as its primary source.

p.18 · Matches Struck in the Dark — Mark Thompson
Thompson examines William Empson's unpublished diaries regarding Virginia Woolf. Empson admired Woolf's prose but resented her Bloomsbury patronage network. The diaries are at the British Library.

▸ Arts

p.22 · Frida Kahlo — The Making of an Icon at Tate Modern
Miranda France reviews the exhibition that runs 200 works including 30 photographs never before exhibited in the UK. The curatorial argument is that Kahlo manufactured her own identity as a political and artistic statement. The exhibition catalog costs 45 pounds.

p.22 · Game of Thrones — The Mad King at the RSC
Carolyne Larrington reviews Duncan Macmillan's stage adaptation at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The production uses puppetry for the dragons and a 14-member ensemble for the army. The dragon puppets each require 3 operators.

▸ Fiction / Science

p.26 · Life of M — Rachel Cusk
Anna Aslanyan reviews Cusk's experimental novel about a woman who rewrites her own biography each decade. The book uses a fragmented structure with no chapters. Aslanyan finds it brilliant but exhausting.

p.30 · Super Agers — Eric Topol
Kathleen Taylor reviews Topol's book on people who maintain cognitive function into their 90s. The key factors: daily walking, social engagement, and a diet rich in omega-3s. Topol's research identifies 4 genetic markers associated with super-aging.

Editor's Take

Number 6412 is a meaty issue anchored by two major Arthurian-review essays. The Turner review of the Cambridge Arthurian History is the standout — she identifies the Japan manga chapter as the most original contribution, which is the kind of concrete editorial call a reader cannot get from the Amazon preview. The Taylor defense of Tolkien is timely but preaching to the converted. The Ware FOI review and the Kahlo exhibition piece both deliver value. The fiction section is stronger than 6411's — Cusk, Thubron, and Armstrong represent three distinct traditions. The science section with Topol's 4 genetic markers is readable.

Strengths
• Turner's Arthurian History review identifying the Japanese manga chapter as the standout
• Taylor's Tolkien defense citing the 2025 Oxford philology symposium
• Ware's FOI investigation covering 14 cases of government secrecy

Weaknesses
• Game of Thrones stage review is too short for the production's ambition
• Cusk's Life of M review acknowledges the book is "exhausting" without justifying the effort

Verdict: Recommended — The Arthurian and Tolkien coverage makes this a collectors' issue for medievalists.