Latest Blogs
Sterne at 300
The publication of Tristram Shandy, an anti-novel that became a model for many more, transformed him from an obscure country clergyman into the toast of London.
Two Cheers for Democracy
A new book by David Runciman argues that democracies are superior to autocracies when it comes to riding out crises. Perhaps, but are they any longer fully democratic?
Letter from Dr Zareer Masani
The author of a biography of Macaulay replies to criticism in a recent review.
It’s polyphony, but with a murder
Tipperary writer Donal Ryan’s novel is one of four which, together with one non-fiction title, have been nominated for the Guardian First Book award.
An Unoffending Refusal
A refusal can often offend, but this is less likely to be the case when it’s written in verse and composed by Margaret Atwood.
Prix Goncourt winner
France’s most prestigious literary prize has been awarded to Pierre Lemaitre, a writer previously best known for his crime novels.
D’Annunzio biography takes Johnson prize
Britain’s major prize for non-fiction has been won by a biography of the Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio.
Camus and Algeria
Albert Camus was born a hundred years ago this week. Towards the end of his short life he parted company from most French opinion on both left and right over the future of Algeria.
Mrs Thatcher, blood, guts and bumblebees
The winner of the main literary prize for serious non-fiction writing in Britain is about to be announced.
We’re All Done For
More figures on e-books and paper books, more trends and countertrends. What can it all mean?
The Function of Frogs and Princes
Jeanette Winterson makes a plea for the autonomy of the imagination and the role of the non-rational in explaining to us who we are.
Censorship Polish Style
The publisher of a controversial biography of Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński has agreed to withdraw the book after a protracted legal dispute.