Cannes film festival set to honour the bookworm
Coveted Palme d'Or likely to go to a screen adaptation, with many of this year's entrants borrowing from literature
Prestwich Book Festival aims to challenge the dominance of south Manchester
The festival has been set up to celebrate the authors and independent businesses that are thriving
Make way for the female comic geeks
Kapow! is a comic convention run by sisters – but will women ever be welcomed by the boys' club?
Tehran International Book Fair launches crackdown on ‘harmful’ titles
Annual event that attracts 500,000 visitors a day has revoked licences of publishing houses and banned them from attending
Egyptian writers in plea for Gaza permits to attend PalFest
Alison Flood: Authors, bloggers and journalists want to reach the city to take part in the Palestine festival of literature
World Shakespeare festival: around the Globe in 37 plays
The World Shakespeare festival, with performances from across the globe in nearly 50 languages, begins this weekend. Andrew Dickson travelled to India to find out more
Writer Idol gives books prizes the Simon Cowell treatment
Billy Mills: Move over Booker and Pulitzer prizes ... there's a new talent show coming to the West Cork literary festival. Writers, are you ready to face the judges?
Salman Rushdie defends free speech in rousing address in Delhi
The author of The Satanic Verses excoriates Imran Khan for claiming to be 'immeasurably hurt' by the novel, and calls on Indians to defend freedom of expression
Bologna children’s book fair digital award pits startups against Disney
Julia Eccleshare: In its 49th year the forever-young fair has launched a standalone digital prize – with companies such as the UK's Nosy Crow going up against the bigger boys
Edinburgh festival to recreate books world-changing event of 1962
The Edinburgh World Writers' Conference this summer will reinvent the massively influential writers' summit for a global audience
Latitude 2012 lineup: Elbow, Paul Weller and Bon Iver to headline
Other performers at Suffolk festival include Bat for Lashes, classical pianist Lang Lang, and professor Brian Cox
Taslima Nasrin attacks ‘cancer’ of censorship in Indian society
After the cancellation of Salman Rushdie's festival appearance, Taslima Nasrin attacks the growing 'appetite for censorship' in India which has prevented her own book launch
Edinburgh book festival chief wants authors, not celebrities
Some literature festivals focus on stars first and books second, says Nick Barley, director of the Edinburgh international book festival
Jonathan Franzen warns ebooks are corroding values
Freedom author tells festival audience that the 'impermanence' of ebooks is incompatible with enduring principles
Why Salman Rushdie’s voice was silenced in Jaipur
A planned videolink with Salman Rushdie at the Jaipur Literary Festival this week presented co-director William Dalrymple with an impossible decision: cause a riot or uphold a vital principle
Salman Rushdie readings threaten future of Indian literary festival
Writers read excerpts from The Satanic Verses in support of Rushdie who pulled out of Jaipur event amid security fears
Salman Rushdie Jaipur festival appearance in doubt
Event cancelled following protest, but festival insists 'invitation still stands'
Damon Albarn reveals Blur recorded single to save Notting Hill carnival
Impromptu collaboration with poet Michael Horovitz was shelved when officials allowed London carnival to go ahead
Southbank’s Olympic event to showcase art, poems and pop-up proms
Tracey Emin and Thomas Hirschhorn among top artists to harness the spirit of the Games for a giant public festival in 2012
We Need to Talk About Kevin scoops top prize at London film festival
Lynne Ramsay's drama starring Tilda Swinton fights off opposition from a strong shortlist to win best film at ceremony
World Book Night giveaway: a night of Good Omens or Misery?
Curl up with Pratchett, Gaiman, King or Austen for one night of fiction, when one million books will be distributed for free from a list of 25
Miss Rusty’s reading cancelled after council row
Author and former teacher, Leonora Rustamova, withdrew from a reading after the local authority said they would read out a disclaimer at the event
Albert Nobbs – review
Glenn Close serves up a terrific performance as a gender-bending butler in Rodrigo García's intriguing ensemble piece, writes Catherine Shoard
Andrea Arnold finds new depths in Wuthering Heights
British director unveils grimy, frill-free version of Emily Brontë's 'dark and profound' classic at Venice film festival
Wuthering Heights – review
Andrea Arnold pummels this costume drama into a beautiful rough beast of a movie – even if Emily Brontë would struggle to recognise it, writes Xan Brooks
Colin Firth says film industry underestimates audiences’ intelligence
Colin Firth makes comments at Venice film festival premiere of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – a film which demands concentration
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – review
Director Tomas Alfredson's marvellously chill adaptation of John Le Carré's cold war thriller features a delicate performance from Gary Oldman along with a first-rate supporting cast, writes Xan Brooks
Venice film festival 2011: Keira Knightley talks costume drama
David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method gets rave reviews as Hollywood's great and good arrive in Italy
Edinburgh international book festival launches publishing project
Collection of specially commissioned work from authors including Roddy Doyle and Amy Bloom will be produced in collaboration with McSweeney's
Edinburgh international book festival diary
Jackie Kay, Colin Thubron and AL Kennedy in our honorary awards to mark the end of the Edinburgh Book Festival
Arab spring has created ‘intelligence disaster’, warns former CIA boss
Michael Scheuer says rendition should be brought back as lack of intelligence has left UK and US unable to monitor militants
Simon Hoggart’s week: In Kerry Katona’s world, hacking is a help
Staying in the news is vital for celebrities who are only known for being famous
Libyan revolution has made democracy real and tangible idea, says novelist
Hisham Matar speaks at Edinburgh international book festival after rebel cousin shot dead in Gaddafi's compound
Tobias Wolff: ‘I still feel as though I’m faking it’
He's one of America's most celebrated authors, yet Tobias Wolff still worries he'll disappoint. He talks to Xan Brooks about the challenges of the memoir game and measuring up to the 'great father', Hemingway
Novelist Sapphire complains of ‘very real’ racism in the arts
Author of Precious talks about abiding barriers to black artists in America