Books

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

Instead he chose the path to No 10 and we are all paying the price

The first recorded purchase of Shakespeare’s collected works came 400 years ago – and the compendium soon crossed into Europe

A top BBC boss tried to fix who chaired its regulator, Ofcom. Now the corporation won’t set the record straight

The Canadian author only writes one book each decade. But her latest novel, Held, shows why it’s worth the wait

He wrote three operas with Mozart and ended up working at a grocers in New York City: meet Lorenzo da Ponte

The French philosopher and writer, born on November 7, 1913, was a publisher’s dream

What can Europe’s classical history tell us about Putin and Xi?

The humble Friday night takeaway staple is a magnificent immigration success story

In an extract from his searing new book, the LBC presenter takes on the politicians who denied everything and took responsibility for nothing

“Jews so keenly feel the trauma of 7 October and its aftermath, not because they support the Netanyahu government or the fundamentalist West Bank settlers… because, like everyone else, we want to be accepted”

Instead of standing up to the far right in the name of democracy and peace, Brussels often enables it

Born a century ago, the Italian author was the best kind of writer, because he understood what it was to be a reader

There was much more to Tove Jansson than the troll family that made her famous

A hit Netflix show is drawing tourists to the Azores, the archipelago where migration and magic are facts of life

A new translation of a novel on the rise of Nazism holds lessons for our current populist age

European fairy tales arrived on our shores 200 years ago – but the major part played by two London lawyers is all but forgotten

No serious candidate for the presidency has ever deployed such grotesque and horrific language. But then there has never been a politician like Trump

David Cameron’s No.10 strategy chief describes how the Brexit virus destroyed decades of Conservative belief

It gave the world Freud and a host of cultural figures. But as a new book celebrates Austria’s capital, what about its footballers?