Recent “sex-negative” tracts The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry and Rethinking Sex by Christine Emba read as over-long op-eds, as might be expected of books by opinion writers. But even these reactionaries aren’t that provocative in their prescriptions. Perry declares: “We should treat our sexual partners with dignity.” Emba concludes: we must “will the good of the other”. This week I’ve been re-reading Martin Amis. The best of his novels is The Zone of Interest. That was the peak, where comedy and tragedy seamlessly blended. In Money , London Fields and The Information, the comedy is rampant and the tragedy forced. By 2014, when The Zone of Interest was published, and a narrative had taken hold that Amis was no longer relevant, he finally managed to reconcile these two warring elements in his fiction, and make peace with both of them. I would, of course, enjoy finding out what you think is Amis’s best work in the comments. You can find pieces by Tom Gatti and Edward Docx on Amis in today’s edition. Will is no longer wondering what happened to novels . Instead he is now wondering what happened to cool male novelists. The species, he suggests , has gone extinct. Hours[{date: 20231218, intervals: [{end: 2200, start: 700}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231219, intervals: [{end: 2200, start: 700}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231220, intervals: [{end: 2200, start: 700}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231221, intervals: [{end: 2200, start: 700}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231222, intervals: [{end: 2200, start: 700}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231223, intervals: [{end: 2200, start: 700}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231224, intervals: [{end: 1600, start: 930}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231225, intervals: [], isClosed: true}, {date: 20231226, intervals: [], isClosed: true}, {date: 20231227, intervals: [{end: 2000, start: 800}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231228, intervals: [{end: 2000, start: 800}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231229, intervals: [{end: 2000, start: 800}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231230, intervals: [{end: 2000, start: 800}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20231231, intervals: [{end: 1600, start: 930}], isClosed: false}, {date: 20240101, intervals: [], isClosed: true}]

In this extract from a newly published collection of Kundera’s early essays, the writer relates an episode from his past in Soviet-era Czechoslovakia in which the police had seized the only copy of a manuscript written by a philosopher friend of his. Kundera’s friend, as Gray writes, was at a loss: Richard Ingrams is wrong to say that John Profumo was “never heard of again” following the Christine Keeler affair ( Encounter, 14 April). Soon afterwards, he began work as a volunteer at Toynbee Hall in the East End of London, eventually becoming the charity’s chief fundraiser. In 1975, he was recognised with a CBE. In the past few days, the first major snow of the winter has fallen in Kyiv. Although temperatures rose above zero again at the weekend, colder weather is forecast in the coming days and weeks. The celebrated photograph of the dome of St Paul’s floating celestial and unharmed above the smoking ruins of buildings bombed in December 1940 during the Blitz instantly became the defining image of British cussedness and exceptionalism – a 20th-century equivalent of the Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I.Those two conferences, held by the Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) in Bournemouth and the National Conservatives in Westminster, may have provided some answers. Bournemouth, where delegates were on an unhappy mission to reinstall Boris Johnson to the leadership of the party, was more fun, if less serious. We can play our now more modest role with confidence, but only if we stop pretending that we are still the leading actor on the stage. We have much to offer, but cardboard cutouts of gunboat diplomacy (e.g. aircraft carriers with no aircraft off China) or jingoistic posturing in our relationship with the EU will not permit us more than an occasional bathetic walk-on as the tedious, irritating neighbour the main actors must all live with, but mostly ignore. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. If there is a lot of water vapour, the humidity will be

Regarding Matthew Engel ( “The Lost Continent”, 14 April) and his comments on Swiss railways, I once boarded a train in Berne due to depart at midday. It left at 12.02, followed by an announcement apologising for the late departure. I would be worried about spoilers, but I’m not sure it’s possible to “spoil” so macabre an evening any more than it’s possible to spoil a funeral: there are no prizes for guessing the ending, and frankly there’s not much fun to ruin. Besides, there are trigger warnings before you even enter the theatre (the Harold Pinter, West End) that give a gloomy glimpse into the proceedings: “physical and emotional abuse… will be portrayed realistically and emotively which some viewers may find disturbing”. You think? No risk of UV - It’s safe to stay outside. 1-2 Low - You can safely stay outside. Consider sunscreen in direct sunlight. 3-5 Moderate - Take care during midday hours and do not spend too much time in the sun unprotected. Sunscreen advised. 6-7 High - Seek shade during midday hours, cover up and wear sunscreen. 8-10 Very high - Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm. Shirt, sunscreen and hat are essential. 11 Extreme - Avoid being outside during midday hours. Shirt, sunscreen and hat essential.It's important to follow official SAT time limits on practice tests. If you give yourself even just two extra minutes on the SAT Reading section, it could raise your section score significantly. Because you have more time to answer questions, your practice SAT Reading score becomes inflated and doesn't give you an accurate indicator of your actual ability. This week I’ve been reading people debate what it means to be “elite”. Matthew Goodwin, part professor, part internet wind-up act, thinks a “new elite” – basically people who read the Guardian and agree with it – control the commanding heights of the British culture industries. The accused, and much of the commentariat, have fallen for the bait. Helen Lewis writes ( Notebook, 14 April), “Can it really be a full decade since the 100th anniversary of the New Statesman?” I’m similarly inclined to ask: can it really be 60 years since I acquired two books by Edward Hyams on the first 50 years of the NS (one on the history, the other an anthology)? I had been reading it every week since 1957.