Murder most British
Why was 1946 such a notorious year for murders in Britain? Duncan Campbell revisits three cases and asks what crime can tell us about the times we live in
Tracks – Venice 2013: first look review
Tracks trudges into competition at Venice on the basis of some spellbinding scenery, but there's a frustrating coyness to the investigation of what's driving its heroine, writes Xan Brooks
Samuel Beckett’s obsession with chess: how the game influenced his work
Chess was one of Samuel Beckett's great obsessions, touching everything from Murphy to Endgame. Stephen Moss visits Enniskillen's annual Beckett festival to find out why
New festival celebrates Aus/NZ literature and arts in London
Anita Sethi: A "literary barbecue" kicks off a festival showcasing work from and about Australia and New Zealand
Miranda Richardson: ‘I love doing new or unvisited stuff’
The actor talks to Tim Lewis about Blackadder, the Women's prize for fiction – and why she'll be reading Samuel Beckett in a boat on Lough Erne
Edinburgh book festival diary
Jonathan Coe's Expo 58 | Jonathan Agnew | Shereen El Feki's Sex in the Citadel
Edinburgh international book festival 2013 takes a stroll down memory lane
Claire Armitstead: From Jane Gardam's forgetful Old Filth to a misremembered Man Booker, this year's festival is all about the power of the mind
Andrew Marr ‘very worried’ by tone of Scottish independence debate
Broadcaster talks 'toxic' anglophobia at Edinburgh international book festival, in first public appearance since stroke
Patti Smith to pay tribute to poems of Robert Louis Stevenson on stage
Legendary punk singer will read odes that 'spoke to her' as a child, as well as performing Allen Ginsberg's work at Edinburgh
Words’ worth
AL Kennedy: The novelist kicks off a new series, coinciding with the Edinburgh international book festival, where writers consider the words that mean most to them
Edinburgh: the ultimate literary city
John Dugdale: Auld Reekie has writers deep in its bones, so there is no more appropriate city to hold a book festival
What I’m looking out for at Camp Bestival
From John Cooper Clarke to Janine Butcher and Mr Tumble, here are Ian Gittins's most anticipated moments for this year's event
Who will play Batman for his tussle with the Man of Steel?
Ben Child: Casting speculation mounts for the Batman/Superman face-off announced at Comic-Con, while Wonder Woman may finally get a movie of her own
Venice film festival lineup sees Gilliam and Glazer back in from the cold
Xan Brooks: The 2013 edition of the Venice film festival also finds room for James Franco, Hayao Miyazaki and Paul Schrader's controversial The Canyons, starring Lindsay Lohan
The best crime-writing festivals around the world
Whether you're a fan of Scandi TV dramas or planning to pen your own thriller, add a twist to a city break at a crime-writing festival, with a chance to listen to and socialise with your favourite authors, says Louise Millar