Comment / Covid-19: Are you ready for a changed world?

LONDON – One of the finest books I’ve read in recent months has been on my mind a lot lately.

The Beauty and the Sorrow, by Swedish war correspondent Peter Englund, tells the story of the First World War, using the diaries of 20 different participants from all sides of the conflict.

For a history book, it’s a remarkably engaging page-turner, but the aspect that resonates most is the way in which people from all over Europe saw their world slide from mundane ...