Culture
Books
Are smartphones damaging our young people? This book says yes
Jonathan Haidt says parents are overprotective in the real world and underprotective in the virtual world.
- by Andrew Leigh
Latest
The rejection letters Toni Morrison sent to aspiring writers
We have a glimpse into the letters of an editor who was frank, fair and often very encouraging – and went on to become a literary giant herself.
- by Jane Sullivan
Opinion
WordPlay
Taylor Swift’s poetic licence: why all the fuss around her new album title?
Grammar pedants have been swift to judge, but pop often plays loose with punctuation.
- by David Astle
How Francis Ford Coppola beat the odds to become a cinematic genius
Sam Wasson sees the director’s films as reflections of his mode of being, his temperament and moral character.
- by Tom Ryan
Did Salman Rushdie foresee the attack that nearly killed him?
Three nights earlier, the acclaimed author had a disturbing dream. It was not his first eerie premonition.
- by JP O'Malley
Opinion
WordPlay
In praise of the eggcorn, the English language’s most logical mistake
Suffering from rumourism? You’ll need a courtesan shot for that.
- by David Astle
This crime novel has a red-hot narrative that keeps its heat to the very end
Candice Fox has set her latest crime novel in the world of New York firefighters.
- by Sue Turnbull
A zombie with an existential crisis and a twist on the detective story
These two very different books are the joint winners of the Novel Prize.
- by Brooke Boland
Eight books: A gothic novella and a passionate memoir of the `80s
Our reviewers consider recent fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
Can Miranda Kerr and a chimp make economics more interesting? Turns out, yes
Andrew Leigh, a federal minister who is also a long-distance runner, races readers through the history of economics in his latest book.
- by Shane Wright
Exploring decades of literary friendship: Joyce Carol Oates’ Letters to a Biographer
Joyce Carol Oates has written more than 70 books. Her latest is a selection of letters that eventually led to her correspondent writing her biography.
- by JP O'Malley