Rob Spence

@Spencro
251 Followers
411 Following
263 Posts
Former Eng Lit academic. I am interested in all sorts of literature, especially modern and contemporary literary fiction. I have written about Ford Madox Ford, Louis de Bernieres, Wyndham Lewis, Penelope Fitzgerald, Robert Nye, but mainly about Anthony Burgess, a fellow Mancunian. Trying to learn Italian.
Websitehttps://robspence.org.uk/
Reviewshttps://shinynewbooks.co.uk/
BlueSky@spencro.bsky.social
Instagramvictorcrabbe
Rob Spence2d ago
The final volume in Hibbert's Italian Cities series. Now up on First Folios
https://substack.com/@brontolone/note/p-201013176
Rob SpenceJun 1
Just up on First Folios: Florence by Christopher Hibbert.
https://open.substack.com/pub/rob611/p/florence
Rob SpenceMay 24
Just posted on First Folios: a look at Christopher Hibbert's Venice. https://open.substack.com/pub/rob611/p/venice
Rob SpenceMay 17
Previewing a forthcoming series of posts on First Folios: https://open.substack.com/pub/rob611/p/italian-cities
Rob SpenceMay 10
Just up on First Folios: Bassani's The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.
https://open.substack.com/pub/rob611/p/the-garden-of-the-finzi-continis?
Rob SpenceMay 5
Just posted on First Folios: Giuseppe di Lampedusa's classic The Leopard. https://rob611.substack.com/p/the-leopard
Rob SpenceApr 28
Just posted on First Folios: a look at Dante’s masterpiece. https://open.substack.com/pub/rob611/p/the-divine-comedy?
Rob SpenceApr 22

A new post on First Folios, looking at Charles Dickens in Europe.

https://open.substack.com/pub/rob611/p/dickens-in-europe?

Rob SpenceApr 21
Latest review: the poems of William Tait: https://shinynewbooks.co.uk/a-day-between-weathers-collected-poems-1938-1978-by-william-j-tait
A Day Between Weathers: Collected Poems, 1938-1978, by William J. Tait

Review by Rob Spence We don’t celebrate the linguistic diversity of these isles anything like enough. Just think of the rich heritage of Welsh, Gaelic, Irish, Manx, Scots, Cornish, Norn -- n

Shiny New Books
Rob SpenceApr 20
Latest on the blog: a look at a classic from America's gilded age. https://robspence.org.uk/2026/04/20/fifty-classics-1-the-house-of-mirth/