Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image description: Crowded stacks of second hand books Some places are just special, stamped with a cosmic seal of approval which is felt by anyone who visits: Hay-on-Wye is one of those places. Located in Powys on the border between England and Wales, Hay, or Y-Gelli Gandryll (‘the shattered grove’) as it is known in Welsh, […]
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Image description: An open book and cup of tea resting on some wood in front of a lake As we enter further into second lockdown, and the evenings are getting darker and longer, no doubt many of us are finding things rather tedious. If living through these ‘unique times’ isn’t quite entertaining enough for you, […]
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From literary classics to YA guilty pleasures, these reads will help you pass the long afternoons of lockdown. If you’re itching to travel: Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell Take an escapist tour of time and space with Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell’s mind-bending, genre-defying book about reincarnation. Split into six different narratives in six different times […]
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Image description: Professor Sunny Singh holding the Jhalak prize trophy 2019 First awarded in 2017, the Jhalak Prize was founded to celebrate books of all descriptions written by British citizens or British residents of colour. The idea came from two writers, Sunny Singh and Nikesh Shukla, who are supported by the authors club, media diversified […]
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Image Description: A person reading a book over lunch This week, Sarah Moorhouse asked OxStu contributors to tell us about their favourite pieces of short fiction. Perfect to enjoy over breakfast or a quick tea break, these compelling reads will transport you away from a dreary lockdown lifestyle. Helena Aeberli: Francoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse Francoise […]
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Image Description: A canal in Venice, Italy If I had a pound for every recent reference to Defoe, Camus and their novels about plague…. Granted, A Journal of the Plague Year and La Peste respectively, are certainly too close to home at the moment. Resorting to history – in this case, its reflection in literature […]
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Image description: Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Mexico My dream has always been to own a library. Nothing too fancy – I’m not asking for an Austen-esque regency manor with a cavernous expanse of dust jackets and cloth bindings – just an otherwise ordinary room whose decoration represents a shrine to books. Living in an increasingly digital society, […]
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Whilst most of the world is in lockdown, literature is still free to comfort, entertain and let you explore different cultures. Here are my favourite books from around the world, to be read whilst our world is a little further away from us. Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (originally in Spanish) An underrated book […]
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Image description: Edward Gorey’s cover design Amis’ debut novel stars Jim, a bitter little man who is lost in life. Jim feels out of place of the profession that he has chosen for himself, which is namely academia. As a professional historian who hates history, Jim ultimately feels trapped by everything and everyone around him. […]
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Image description: books and a festive lantern Although we’re a little into the Christmas vacation already, there’s still a while to go before we have to pack our bags and head back to Oxford. The Christmas period is one of seasonal comforts and festive excitement; however, it can also be a time of boredom – […]
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The Oxford Student can reveal that the total value of the Bodleian Libraries’ collected late book fines totalled £76,961.59 over the course of the 2017-18 academic year. Commenting on this, the Bodleian Libraries told The Oxford Student that the money raised from the fines would be used for ‘purchasing additional copies (of texts) in order […]
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This provocative, controversial book, follows the life and academic career of Francois in a dystopian France crackling with political change. As a tragically immoral and lonely university lecturer living in Paris, his life is altered when the fictional Muslim Brotherhood Party wins the national election. His girlfriend, Jewish, flees the country in fear and he […]
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There is a wide range of podcasts out there, and it should come as no surprise that a sizeable number of podcasts are concerned with books. As a devoted bookworm and podcast enthusiast, I have pored over lists of “the best podcasts” and tried numerous programmes, coming to establish my own favourites. These podcasts are […]
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A selection of books capturing the essence of Christmas in a multitude of ways and exploring the strange, tense and mystical atmospheres brought forth by this time of year. Orlando by Virginia Woolf (1928) The book begins with Orlando, a teenage boy, serving as a page in the Elizabethan court and ends in 1928 with […]
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Image Credit: Martin Pettitt. Description: the exterior of the Palace Theatre showing ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ ‘Don’t look back in anger’ is a classic by Oasis. And for me, not looking back is advice that should be given to authors everywhere. Recently, some of my favourites have decided to revisit worlds they left […]
Continue ReadingCredit: Still Life with Books in Niche , Barthélemy d’Eyck The Bodleian Libraries is lifting the lid on its collection of ‘obscene’ and ‘improper’ books for the first time ever in a display of items from the Libraries’ restricted ‘Phi’ category. The exhibition, Story of Phi: Restricted Books, explores changing ideas about sexuality and censorship and […]
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When starting out at Oxford the library system is more than a little intimidating. With over 100 different libraries affiliated with the University, it can be a bit overwhelming knowing where the best place to study is, so I thought I’d help out. Not all the university libraries are accessible to every student, particularly the college, […]
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Independent bookshops are a dying race, callously destroyed by online purchases and dooming their owners to disillusioning profit losses. However, on 25 Walton Street, a survivor determinedly battles on. The Last Bookshop, providing quaint mint-green tables outside for those who wish to read with a coffee, and a perpetual deal of two books for five […]
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It was recently reported that Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You, has stepped in and put up £360,000 of her own money to ensure that the adult literacy campaign Quick Reads is able to continue. The scheme had got into trouble when funding from both its long-term sponsor Galaxy, and the Arts Council, dried […]
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