The author always had a warmth and wry wisdom to his characterisations and his eye for the absurd ensured he was one of the most truthful of postwar novelists
The author of more than two dozen books is best known for his trio set in a fictionalised version of the University of Birmingham, where he worked from 1960 to 1987
New work from Zadie Smith, a memoir from Bill Gates, plus the third instalment in Rebecca Yarros’s romantasy series - here’s the biggest fiction and nonfiction for the year ahead