‘Buddhism and Björk help me handle fame’: novelist Ocean Vuong
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous made him a literary superstar. Now the Vietnamese American author is exploring his working-class roots in an ambitious follow‑up
Willkommen, bienvenue! New festival celebrates translated fiction from Cameroon to Slovakia as sales boom
Co-organised by translator Polly Barton, Translated By, Bristol will feature conversations between writers and their translators, plus a ‘translation duel’
Emma Jane Unsworth: ‘I blush when I think of Miranda July’s All Fours. I became a changed woman’
The author of Slags on Patricia Highsmith, Judy Blume and her lifelong reaction to Yeats
The best science fiction, fantasy and horror – reviews roundup
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie; The Incandescent by Emily Tesh; Land of Hope by Cate Baum; A Line You Have Traced by Roisin Dunnett
Gunk by Saba Sams review – boozy nights and baby love
The Send Nudes author’s follow-up conveys a profound message about the insufficiency of the nuclear family
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff audiobook review – a fugitive’s fight for survival
Actor January LaVoy narrates the visceral story of a girl on the run in a winter wilderness, in early 17th-century Virginia
Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson review – a genre-defying graphic novel about class, religion and globalisation
Can you tell the American story via ginseng? Thompson’s funny, moving and exquisitely drawn work has a go
The Names by Florence Knapp – the verdict on spring’s hottest debut
In this strikingly assured sliding doors tale, three alternate narratives unfold, showing how the choice of a name influences a life
Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter review – a Saltburn-style story of identity
A mixed-race musician is drawn into the unfamiliar milieu of an upper-class family in this plotty debut
Dream State by Eric Puchner review – an epic tale of paradise lost
A love triangle plays out across generations in this brilliantly panoramic tale of family ties
Love Groundhog Day and Russian Doll? These are the novels for you
High-concept novels are having a moment. Funny, inventive and crackling with big ideas, these ambitious stories will have you instantly hooked
Love endures all, including slavery and the pandemic. I wanted to show how
In early 2020, separated from my family and friends during the pandemic, I made up my mind to write a love story
‘Literary scandal’, ‘joke-a-minute’, ‘captivating’: the best Australian books out in May
Each month Guardian Australia editors and critics pick the upcoming titles they have already devoured – or can’t wait to get their hands on
Do we really need more male novelists?
There may not be obvious successors to the likes of Martin Amis and Salman Rushdie among today’s hotshot young writers. But is a new publisher dedicated to ‘overlooked’ male voices necessary?
The Guardian view on the Gruffalo: a well-timed comeback, wart and all
Editorial: The next challenge for Julia Donaldson’s monster is to get its claws into parents and persuade more of them to read aloud