My Unwritten Books, By George Steiner

Sometimes cranky, too full of bluster, this singular book still has sections that stop the heart with their passion and eloquence.

After a lifetime as a world-spanning critic and cultural prophet, Steiner explores the themes of seven books he planned but never wrote – from the pitfalls of envy to sexual speech across languages; from his "homeless" non-Zionist Judaism to his love of dogs.

Cloudy invective against philistine modernity yields, in every chapter, to glorious passages of memory and reflection, from the chatter of lovers to the wonder of Old English sheepdogs, right up to the dark edges of faith in God.