Areopagus Volume XCVIII

I've written a book.

Welcome one and all to the ninety-eighth volume of the Areopagus — and a very special edition. See, these newsletters have been a bit less frequent recently, and now I can finally tell you why.

I’ve written a book, set to be published by Penguin on 4th September this year.

It’s called The Cultural Tutor: 49 Lessons You Wish You’d Learned at School and it’s the summation, the culmination and crystallisation, of everything I’ve been doing online these past three years.

Where to begin? What to say? If you’re a regular reader then you’ll have some idea what’s in the book and what it’s about. Culture — art, architecture, history, poetry, philosophy, literature — is for everybody. And, crucial in our times, it’s both an alternative to the 24 hour content cycle and an antidote to doomscrolling. That’s my belief, the guiding star in what I write and what I’m trying to do.

My book is intended as an all-encompassing cultural primer, a whirlwind introduction to the things we’re interested in but don’t know how to “get into”. Gothic architecture, Lionel Messi, Norse mythology, Brutalism, air conditioning units, Art Deco, alarm clocks, advice for writing love poetry, how to predict the future, Hasui Kawase, John Ruskin, Yoda’s use of rhetoric… it’s all there.

And, above all, the book is about seeing the wonders that surround us, learning how to notice the ordinary miracles that define every leaf and brick of our world.

It’s available for pre-order now in all the places you usually buy your books.

I’ve also teamed up with Waterstones to give you 25% off — pre-re-order now at Waterstones with the code CULTURAL25 for 25% off until 11:59PM GMT, 03/09/2025 at this link: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-cultural-tutor/sheehan-quirke/9780241742853

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And there we go — sometimes, it seems, dreams do somewhat come true.

In the end, of course, all I can say is thank you. To each and every reader of these strange and winding missives, to every single person who has sent me emails or messages of any kind, to all the paying subscribers who’ve allowed me to keep doing this work… you’ve all been part of the journey, and I hope my book (should you choose to read it) proves to be worth your time and attention.

How to end? The only way I know — with poetry, and with poetry of the most timeless and immortal sort, from an Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem called, quite simply and magnificently, Love:

…when a soul, by choice and conscience, doth
Throw out her full force on another soul,
The conscience and the concentration both
Make mere life, Love.

The regular Areopagus will resume imminently! Adieu.

Yours,

The Cultural Tutor