Musings of a fiction writer

Top ad man and author Ben Kay graced these pages back in 2011 with a personal insight into the world of a blockbuster fiction writer. Via his brilliant ad-industry blog 'If This is a Blog Then What's Christmas?' he brings us up to date with the process of creating his ... Read More...

Alcohol and The Anglosphere

In a special guest post, Canadian commenter Peter muses on the English-speaking world's various attitudes to booze... The British and Americans have more in common than language to divide them.  The joys of intercontinental blogging and a long time bedtime addiction to police mysteries have led me to understand that a ... Read More...

The Witchfather

Reggie is a London-based lawyer who blogs here, here, here and, actually, elsewhere. It's quite difficult to introduce him as he has such a wide (and erudite) set of interests. Anyhow, we're delighted to welcome today a meaty post on one of the oldest preoccupations of the learned, provoked by ... Read More...

Dabbler Showcase – Andrew G Fisher

Dabbler Showcase is a new feature aiming to promote contemporary visual art. Our first featured artist is the Liverpool-based photographer Andrew G Fisher... Bleak, ghostly British seaside resorts feature fairly regularly on The Dabbler, they're our sort of places. Canadian commenter extraordinaire Peter Burnet once remarked: Over here, we love beaches, but we know what ... Read More...

Michael Wharton – A Chequered Career

Michael ('Peter Simple') Wharton's book The Missing Will is one of the finest, funniest memoirs you'll ever read. In this exclusive article from Slightly Foxed magazine, Jeremy Lewis introduces one of the last of Fleet Street's heroic drinkers... I got to know Michael Wharton in the early 1980s, when I was ... Read More...

Henry Williamson – In Search of Truth

In his recent excellent series on Tarka the Otter author Henry Williamson, Jonathan Law wrote about difficulties for the reader in reconciling Williamson's real literary talent with his odious political views, including enthusiasm for Adolf Hitler. Jonathan's posts drew the ire of Anne Williamson - Henry's daughter-in-law - so we've offered ... Read More...

Having a go at stand-up comedy

Ever thought you could have a go at stand-up comedy? Well this guy (who wishes to remain anonymous) actually went ahead and did it. Here he explains why he decided to brave the audiences of Cardiff - and describes the ecstatic highs and excruciating lows he was already experienced in his fledging ... Read More...

1000 Years of Annoying the French

Stephen Clarke is the author of A Year in the Merde and numerous other books which take an irreverent look at the French and at Anglo-Gallic relations. In this exclusive post for The Dabbler, originally published in February 2011, he explains why Les Rosbifs have been irritating their continental neighbours ... Read More...