Books

The latest – and last? – novel by Michel Houellebecq, France’s most controversial writer, takes on politics

The works by great authors that were left on trains and buses... or accidentally smoked

The surprising European roots of stories like Beauty And The Beast reach back to the Bronze Age

Online events have kept us going during Covid, but nothing can replace the real thing

A former journalist’s debut novel explores our fascination with the partners of dictators

As Russian forces pound his country’s cities, towns and villages, Serhiy Zhadan’s The Orphanage offers a poignant portrayal of what such an onslaught feels like, and a reminder that Ukraine has been living with conflict for years

One of the best ways to understand the national psyche is to delve into its rich library of literature

Cal Flyn's win as The Sunday Times Young Writer of the year may have been helped by the fact that Flyn worked for the paper for five years and that her two books are published by HarperCollins - also owned by Rupert Murdoch

Even a cursory reading of the Russians would have explained to many in the West why Putin was going to invade Ukraine, says WILL SELF

Hannah Kent’s most ambitious historical novel yet is a queer love story about migration from claustrophobic convention

The most American of writers was a Europhile whose time in Paris produced a lost classic

A new project by Polish photographer Rafał Milach examines how populist politicians use walls as propaganda

When is the right time for a literary response to the Covid pandemic?

The author’s debut novel was born out of rage against the way mothers are expected to do it all. It’s about two characters battling pressure, trauma and grief. But, ultimately, it could be anyone’s story - and it is

From inhaling rotten apples to lying in an open coffin, the bizarre rituals of great writers

How the story of a plane full of doppelgängers became a literary sensation in France. By CHARLIE CONNELLY

Advice for authors is rarely as honest and valuable as in a posthumous book by a great Polish poet. By CHARLIE CONNELLY

Remembering Nellie Bly, the pioneering journalist who eclipsed Jules Verne’s hero. By CHARLIE CONNELLY

They shared a famous TV Brexit moment. When Mark Francois wrote a book, there was only one person who could review it...

Some inventions sounded, and even looked, brilliant, only to fall flat. But that isn’t always the end of the story for great ideas.

Assessing the legacies of five great women writers who left us in just 17 December days.

Lady Hale, former president of the Supreme Court, remains as calm and steadfast as ever. But, as her much-praised book indicates, we haven't heard the last of her measured voice.

2022 promises more great fiction by women and writers of diverse nationalities and backgrounds

He’s remembered as an unsmiling, bloated figure festooned with medals. But at one point the Soviet leader was classed as a heart-throb.

In this exclusive extract from his new book It’s the Leader, Stupid: Changemakers in Modern Politics, ANDREW ADONIS charts the inexorable rise of Nigel Farage, the ‘bloody-minded wind-up merchant’ who changed Britain for the worse.

Focusing on 20 outstanding leaders, Andrew Adonis writes with passion and excitement, says ex-Speaker of the House JOHN BERCOW.

CHARLIE CONNELLY rounds up the best titles of 2021 and names one absolute favourite.

Bolstered by Tory scandals and a new shadow cabinet, Keir Starmer should heed a newly published account of one of his party’s darkest hours, which turns the Red Wall narrative on its head.

CHARLIE CONNELLY rounds up some of the best titles to give as stocking fillers – and put you in your loved ones’ good books.

The concept is fashionable yet controversial, exerting a romantic appeal on some and exerting deep atavistic fears in others. But at its essence, rewilding is a simple necessity.

Hezza helped save Liverpool because he knew the point of power: Doing stuff, not just saying stuff.

CHARLIE CONNELLY on the truth behind a ludicrous “woke” controversy over the Costa Book Awards.