books
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High art, low entertainmentAL Kennedy celebrates a craftsman who viewed his work as a lifelong apprenticeship -
The Fatal Tree by Jake Arnott – a colourful descent into London’s underworldReal-life historical figures are among the jailbreakers, prig-nappers and bawds in this vivid portrait of 1720s London
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Rebel Crossings by Sheila Rowbotham – feminist utopian dreamsA vivid collective biography of a group of 19th-century freethinkers is crammed with hopeful visions from the past -
Can I be a serious writer, keeping such casual hours?Susan Hill on starting her career during her O-levels, Twitter and completing her 59th book
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Oxford Dictionaries add 'clicktivism' and 'haterade' as new words for angry timesDonald Trump’s presidency has already left its mark on the English language, according to lexicographers monitoring the most popular new vocabulary
news
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25 million books are missing from UK libraries – but who's counting?Librarians call for a national audit after inventory count of Suffolk libraries reveals 10,000 books are missing, despite computer records saying otherwise
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The working class has its own cultural identity – and we must see it on the pageStories are a key support for each person’s identity, so it’s vital we defend those going unheard and unread – or leave a void to be filled by the far right
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Your questions answered by biographer Edmund GordonGordon spent five years writing his acclaimed biography of Carter and joined us to answer your questions about Carter’s thoughts on feminism, ‘modern’ fairytales and which authors she thought were bores...
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books in 2017
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Books to watch in 2017Jane Austen’s bicentenary, Arundhati Roy’s first novel in 20 years, and unpublished F Scott Fitzgerald ... the literary year ahead
regulars
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PodcastPodcastReclaiming history with Yaa Gyasi and Chibundu Onuzo - books podcastThe authors of two buzzy new novels, Homegoing and Welcome to Lagos, explore ancient and modern stories of west Africa
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Reading groupReading groupAngela Carter webchat – your questions answered by biographer Edmund GordonGordon spent five years writing his acclaimed biography of Carter and joined us to answer your questions about Carter’s thoughts on feminism, ‘modern’ fairytales and which authors she thought were bores...
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The first book interviewThe first book interviewAlice Broadway: 'I guess it's inevitable that I became a bit death-obsessed'Ink’s heroine loses faith in a culture where people’s histories are etched on their skin – reflecting its author’s own disaffection from evangelical Christianity
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Book of the dayBook of the dayThe Fatal Tree by Jake Arnott review – a colourful descent into London’s underworldReal-life historical figures are among the jailbreakers, prig-nappers and bawds in this vivid portrait of 1720s London
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The Raqqa Diaries by Samer – brutal and powerfulReports smuggled out of Isis-occupied Syria detail the horrors faced by a desperate population
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Hit Makers by Derek Thompson – how things become popularNothing actually ‘goes viral’, and consumers are both conservative and curious, argues this engaging cultural study
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The Dedalus Book of Gin by Richard BarnettNicholas Lezard’s paperback of the week: an entertaining look at the drink’s history – complete with ‘Hogarth-rating’ tasting notes
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Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman – visionary ideas for a dark timeAn optimistic book argues with gusto for universal basic income and other policies but lacks a broad or deep perspective
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The Bughouse: The Poetry, Politics and Madness of Ezra PoundDaniel Swift’s account of the disgraced poet’s years in a mental hospital is enthralling but leaves us little wiser as to his state of mind
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The Last of the Tsars: Nicholas II and the Russian Revolution by Robert ServiceThe prolific historian’s account of the doomed Romanovs is rich in drama
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The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrère – the man who invented JesusA brilliant, genre-bending French bestseller uses the story of the early church as a parable for the author’s own life
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Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? by Kathleen Collins – black power and pathosWritten during the 1960s and 70s, these posthumously published stories from the civil rights activist and film-maker seem startlingly prescient
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The Doll Funeral by Kate Hamer – a coming-of-age fairytaleThere are shades of Jeanette Winterson and Ian McEwan in this atmospheric follow-up to The Girl in the Red Coat
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Christodora by Tim Murphy – solidarity in the shadow of AidsNew York’s East Village is the setting for this brilliantly kaleidoscopic story about the city’s haves and have‑nots, both brought together and torn apart by an epidemic
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Judge Dredd shuts down 2000AD’s 40th birthday bashThe Image imprint continues to thrive, plus a cherubic demon-hunter protects Prague from ancient threats
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Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak – a rich journey into romance and religionA young Muslim woman’s spiritual quest takes her from Istanbul to Oxford as she learns about love, faith and real life
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The best new picture books and novelsProtesting chickens, a mischievous bear, hunt the ballerinas and a Swedish horror story
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Small acts of resistance: how to choose a children's book in a divided world?When we read to a child we are also reading to ourselves – and, in our increasingly polarised society, small choices make a big difference
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Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson – dreams and danger on the streets of New YorkAn allusive, less-is-more approach works beautifully in this coming-of-age novel
people
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I used to say that I was not an autobiographical writer – that was a lieThe Chinese-American author discusses her breakdown and facing up to the trauma of her past
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Type casting: the worst novels by Hollywood actorsWith Tom Hanks announcing a collection of typewriter-themed short stories, which other stars have tried and failed to become bestselling authors?
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Joanna Bourke: 'Speaking about suffering helps cope with it'The author of The Story of Pain explains how an agonising hospital stay prompted her to explore an experience felt very differently down the ages
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A century of American sufferingThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, her debut novel of desolate southern lives, made McCullers an instant star – something she never fully recovered from
A selection of our favourite literary content from around the world
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The Little Library CaféThe Little Library CaféFood in books: pig cheeks from Fingersmith by Sarah WatersUnctuous and tender, pig cheeks are less popular now as a cut than past times. Kate Young brings them back in style, to celebrate a meal from Sarah Waters’s Victorian novel
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Interview with a Bookstore by Literary HubInterview with a Bookstore by Literary HubInterview with a Bookstore: Blue Willow Bookshop in HoustonCelebrating 20 years since owner Valerie took over, Blue Willow Bookshop is equally split between adults and children’s books, and staffed with knowledgable booksellers who can do anything - including fixing vacuum cleaners
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pictures, video & audio
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Reclaiming history with Yaa Gyasi and Chibundu OnuzoThe authors of two buzzy new novels, Homegoing and Welcome to Lagos, explore ancient and modern stories of west Africa
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Michael Chabon on The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and ClayThe Pulitzer prize-winning novelist looks back on a modern classic at a Guardian book club event
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Sebastian Barry on his Costa-winning novel Days Without EndIn the week Sebastian Barry picked up his second Costa book of the year award, he joins us in the studio to read from and discuss Days Without End
you may have missed
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Do North and South Korea speak the same language? Yes, but not quiteThe first short stories smuggled out of North Korea represent a unique challenge for their translator, Deborah Smith
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Can writing help us come to terms with mental illness?In hospital in 1972, Paula Keogh fell in love with the poet Michael Dransfield. In her new memoir she captures the voice of her illness and the man she loved
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How electricity powered our imaginationsA new exhibition charts the changing place of electricity in our lives, our homes and in literature
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I always wanted to be an art monsterThe author recalls her youthful dreams of a Turner prize victory and the run-in with doctors that led to her second novel
The dangers of nostalgia: we need to imagine a brighter future