Books

How an 18th-century Somerset cobbler’s obsessive love of reading shaped the world of bookselling as we know it

Our editor-at-large’s rundown of the pick of the week’s books and cinema

In a new book by a best-selling French author, ancient onlookers watch a family come to terms with a disabled child

Our editor-at-large’s rundown of the pick of the week’s theatre, books and cinema

A barely concealed desire for the old Russian empire would infuse his work but even this did not preclude Stalin’s tacit admiration

A great writer travelled to Hungary, wrote a single book, and then disappeared. All she left behind was a masterpiece

Our editor-at-large’s rundown of the pick of the week’s film, TV and art

Exploring the surprising link between a small town in the shadow of Mount Etna and the most celebrated siblings in English literature

How a Danish archaeologist’s book about ancient bodies found buried in peat bogs inspired some of the poet’s greatest work

Our editor-at-large’s rundown of the pick of the week’s film, TV and art

Many exiled European writers embraced their situation, but for Zweig the loss of his nation represented the loss of his identity

How a young woman finally unlocked the life ahead of her by spending a year at Wordsworth’s cottage in the Lake District

Taking a risky trip to liberated Kherson with a president who understands his own value as figurehead of a defiant nation

Our editor-at-large’s rundown of the pick of the week’s film, TV and art

No other writer has captured the singular beauty of the northern French coast like Rebecca Gisler in her debut novel

In an exclusive extract from his diaries of 1999 and 2000, former Labour minister Denis MacShane reveals the growing xenophobia in the Tory Party under William Hague’s leadership – and how it sowed the seeds of Brexit

Serge Gainsbourg’s novel was unquestionably a stinker, but a surprising number of novels by famous people stand up to scrutiny

A Russian author is declared a ‘terrorist’ for opposing Putin. American writers are banned in right-wing states. Where will this end?

In this extract from his new book, bestselling author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers suggests we start to focus on the kind of world we want, not the one we don’t

Reading is not the preferred choice of recreation for France’s youth

French Resistance spy Boulle took up writing almost on a whim – then created the basis for two all-time classic films

All were fans of writing their own thoughts on the pages of the books they read

A real-life zoo breakout is the first in a series of tumultuous events to befall the refugee hero of Leo Vardiashvili’s impressive debut novel

2024 should go down as a vintage year for female authors

The perfect combination of compelling narrative and wonderful writing is rare but when it works the results are unforgettable

From political memoirs to reflections on renaissance art, our writers recommend their favourite literary treats of the year

The former Arsenal midfielder made Serie A a refuge from the blood and thunder of English football.. even if he did snub Pavarotti.

What draws Italy’s populist leader, along with a number of other far-right politicians, to the work of JRR Tolkien?

Geoffrey Chaucer’s legacy should be as a great European, not as a quintessentially English writer

Tales of ice and lighthouses, the ghosts of Irish literary legends and the Iliad reborn: the books you should give this Christmas

The dictator in the Kremlin may not be popular, yet he rules unopposed. But once again he is going to the polls – why?

The former Tory culture secretary and Boris Johnson superfan has written an astoundingly bad book