Tragedy, comedy and an Italian parable
Three great novels capture a moment of change for society
Still-sparkling gems of an annus mirabilis
Tried and tested novels overlooked in our neophilic rush to the new and wanting
On the Cusk of austerity
A cerebral critic pleaser, a dramatic crowd pleaser, and a perennial favourite
Diversion, disruption and distinction
Being memorable and sticky guarantees a novel a long and healthy life
Iain Banks: a double life
His disturbing debut, The Wasp Factory, is being reissued this year
Eyes on the prizes — and the surprises
Every literary season has a book that comes from nowhere and seems to gallop ahead of the competition
A “lost” novel better left unfound
We’re a long way from touchstones One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera
Three novelists pushing the bloat out
Some novels still dare to leave the reader’s hand unheld — without universal success
You can’t judge a book by its cover
All novels should be like this: stripped of the necessary but boring connective tissue
Satire, sci-fi and a sting in the tale
It’s time for our annual guide to the best new fiction of the year
Alive and flicking
A game invented by a man named Adolph might have been a hard sell to the British public, but it was an instant hit
Does vaping do more harm than good?
It seems improbable
Only the truly privileged can be cultural relativists
It is easy not to judge appalling cultural practices from a distance
Keep prisoners of war off social media
Social media platforms are incentivising war crimes
Two cheers for pedestrianisation
Pedestrianisation cannot solve all of Oxford Street’s problems
Sophocles’s lack-of-foresight saga
Families will feud, from the BC era to 2024
Let’s leave the Commonwealth
There is no point in being a member just to be browbeaten about our past
50 years ago…
Ali dances, bounces, beckons Foreman on, matador against bull
Much more than mere child’s play
Children’s literature is the platform on which everything else is built
Countdown to energy apocalypse
What will happen when the wind doesn’t blow?
A matter of life and death
It is not the job of judges to tell someone that they are wrong for believing in life
