books
-
A novel about the darkest side of war is a surprise choice for a book to give us hope – but its laughter is still cheering, even when the comedy is pitch black
-
In this excerpt from the latest novel by acclaimed Israeli author Nir Baram, a man finds a Jewish woman violently murdered in his Berlin home during the second world war
-
Original Rockers’ author explains how a Bristol record shop he worked at tells a chapter of the city’s cultural history – and an intimate part of his own story
-
From Jack London to George Orwell and Iain Sinclair, there is a long tradition of writers who fuel their portrayals of destitution with first hand experience
-
The series of books predates Game of Thrones by a decade and boasts a universe as populous as Westeros, with a huge tapestry of stories to be mined
-
This tale of a likable but hubristic home secretary rings refreshingly true
news
-
Broadcaster’s former employee who left on bad terms will return as a lifesize bronze sculpture outside London headquarters
-
Your space to discuss the books you are reading and what you think of them
-
Iain Banks, Ali Smith and more – here are 10 books the BBC missed, as recommended by readers
-
summer reading
-
From Essex serpents to chimpanzees, political satire to the best new thrillers … leading writers reveal which books they will be taking to the beach
regulars
-
100 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time100 Best Nonfiction Books of All TimeThe 100 best nonfiction books: No 28 – The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaiah Berlin (1953)The great historian of ideas starts with an animal parable and ends, via a dissection of Tolstoy’s work, in an existential system of thought
-
The first book interviewThe first book interviewJack Urwin: 'We don’t need to be the men our grandfathers were'First book interview: The debut author’s study of ‘toxic masculinity’ was uncomfortable to write, but he says it’s fired with hope that clichéd male behaviour can be unlearned
-
Top 10sTop 10sTop 10 philosophers' fictionsFrom Marx to Mann and Adorno, some thinkers have made brilliant use of the imaginative techniques of novels and stories to frame their reflections. Here are some of the most interesting and unexpected
-
PodcastPodcastWalking in cities with Lauren Elkin and music by the Bookshop Band - books podcastWe take a stroll through the streets of history and talk about women who wandered with author of Flâneuse, Lauren Elkin, and enjoy some great literary lyrics from the Bookshop Band
-
The French photographer’s playful restaging of some of the world’s most celebrated images is both mischievous and thought-provoking
-
Our map of gender has been radically redrawn in recent years, and Frank Browning offers an accessible guide to complex new terrain
-
History Ancient Worlds: An Epic History of East and West
Michael ScottMichael Scott’s novel approach to an overview of world affairs from 500BC to AD300 reaps rich rewards -
Biography Labyrinths: Emma Jung, Her Marriage to Carl and the Early Years of Psychoanalysis by Catrine Clay
Lucy ScholesEmma Jung’s role in the growth of psychoanalysis – and her scandalous life with Carl – is revealed in this absorbing new biography -
The late, great Paris Review editor is at lyrical best in these classic confessions of an amateur sportsman in at the deep end
-
Denmark approaches childhood, and society as a whole, very differently to Britain or the US, argue Jessica Joelle Alexander and Iben Dissing Sandahl
-
The Lauras by Sara Taylor Elegiac and beautifully observed
Hannah BeckermanSara Taylor’s second novel, charting a road trip and touching on themes of gender, loss and identity, is as evocative as her debut -
Alex doesn’t have a gender – and Ma is OK with that as they cross America in search of the past in this exploration of identity and the bond between mother and child
-
An inspector searches for a young man who may or may not be there in this serpentine inquiry into the nature of reality
-
The Many by Wyl Menmuir A disturbing debut
Catherine TaylorA surprising inclusion on the Man Booker prize longlist exerts an uneasy power -
Viral by Helen Fitzgerald This page-turner had me turning pages
Nicholas LezardNicholas Lezard’s paperback of the week: I was sceptical about such a salacious novel but it is clever, funny and psychologically astute -
-
Fiction The Storyteller by Walter Benjamin – a master thinker's fiction
Jonathon SturgeonKnown primarily for his essays and insights into the cultural condition, Walter Benjamin also wrote fiction. A new collection reveals his unique approach
people
-
The New Yorker writer who profiled Donald Trump in the 90s delves into the Republican’s mentality, and explains why he thinks he’s destined to drop out
-
The US novelist on the effect of her home state’s landscape and light on her period fiction
-
The US novelist, longlisted for this year’s Man Booker, talks inspiration, warts-and-all writing and her long slog to success
-
The author sees his novel about a Catholic school girls choir ‘on the lash’ brought to the stage in all its joyful, irreverent glory
children's books
-
We announce the eight wonderful authors and books that have been longlisted for our prize, this year judged by David Almond, SF Said and Kate Saunders
-
Review one of the Guardian children’s fiction prize 2016 longlisted books as an individual or a school book group and be in with a chance of winning books, national book tokens and an invite to meet authors at our award ceremony – enter here!
-
The Guardian is changing how it covers children’s books – here we look back at some of the highlights of the Guardian children’s books site since 2011
A selection of our favourite literary content from around the world
-
The Little Library CaféThe Little Library CaféFood in books: gooseberry tart from Swallows and AmazonsWhile enjoying British summer holidays, Kate Young was taken back to her childhood dreams to live in Arthur Ransome’s adventure stories
-
Interview with a Bookstore by Literary HubInterview with a Bookstore by Literary HubInterview with a Bookstore: Heffers in Cambridge, celebrating 140 years of booksellingRun by staff that pride themselves on identifying and championing ‘Heffers books’, Heffers is the largest bookstore in the UK university town
-
pictures, video & audio
-
We take a stroll through the streets of history and talk about women who wandered with author of Flâneuse, Lauren Elkin, and enjoy some great literary lyrics from the Bookshop Band
-
As part of the World of Illustration series, we head to Romania and Moldova to meet goats, princesses and cats – plus eat bread with dew
-
Orange Prize winner Rose Tremain gives an account of writing her latest book, The Gustav Sonata
you may have missed
-
Written in the shadow of the approaching second world war, the novel tells the tale of a man at battle with himself and the world around him
-
Our digital lives and the chaos beneath
Will SelfDisturbed by a technical glitch while watching a box set, Will Self began to consider the narrowing gap between images and real life. Is technology altering our grasp on reality? -
George RR Martin published the first in his bestselling series A Game of Thrones on this day in 1996. A 20 year old book in 20 questions – can you slay this quiz? Warning: watching the TV show may not help you...
-
The authors discuss translation, ‘travelling while black’ and how to avoid classification
popular
Topics
- All today's stories
- Fiction
- Children and teenagers
- Biography
- History
- Autobiography and memoir
- Poetry
- Fiction in translation
- Awards and prizes
- Society
- JK Rowling
- Sport and leisure
- Science and nature
- Publishing
- Harry Potter
- Politics
- Man Booker prize 2016
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- Paperbacks
- Feminism
- Booker prize
'The numbers are terrible' Black science fiction writers face 'universal' racism, study finds