Barbara Taylor Bradford obituary
Bestselling author who enjoyed overnight success with her debut novel A Woman of Substance
Rushdie, Ernaux and Soyinka among authors calling for release of Franco-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal
Sansal was reportedly arrested on arrival in Algiers on 16 November, with French President Macron demanding information about his whereabouts
Where to start with: Hanif Kureishi
It seemed the writer would have to retire after a devastating fall in 2022. But now, approaching 70, he has been more creative than ever. Here’s how you can get to know his work
Barbara Taylor Bradford: she wrote books about sexy, scrappy, hard-working women like her
A towering goddess of late 20th-century fiction, the novelist sold a different way of living to women who did not have choices – and she made all of her own dreams come true
Norway launches Jon Fosse prize for literary translators
The award will be the biggest of its kind in Europe and aims to celebrate the work of an overlooked and underpaid profession facing an existential threat from AI
Novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford dies aged 91
Author described as ‘the grande dame of blockbusters’ wrote 40 novels, selling more than 91m copies
‘I am nothing if not persistent’: Lesley Imgart, winner of our graphic short story prize 2024
It was fifth time lucky for Imgart in this year’s Observer/Faber award for emerging cartoonists, with her spellbinding tale about the life of a young witch
The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze by William Saroyan review – vividly crafted Depression-era tales
The US author’s debut collection from 1934 focuses on impoverished individuals in precarious times using language that is punchy and full of compassion
‘We recognise it in this very primal way’: Stephen Fry, Brie Larson, Chris Ofili and more on why we can’t get enough of Greek mythology
Love, death, grief, power, revenge: Greek tragedies get to the essence of the human experience. Here, writers and artists select their favourite plays, music and films inspired by ancient classics, from The Hunger Games to a Santana hit
In brief: Boy from the Valleys; The Wood at Midwinter; A Bird in Winter – review
Actor Luke Evans’s affecting childhood memoir; a haunting illustrated novella by Susanna Clarke; and a riveting female-centred spy thriller
David Nicholls: ‘I’m genuinely deathly at a dinner party’
The bestselling author on why he finds it easier to be funny on the page, being inspired by Sue Townsend and Victoria Wood, and his struggle with the ending of You Are Here
Haruki Murakami: ‘My books have been criticised so much over the years, I don’t pay much attention’
As his new novel is published, the acclaimed author discusses complexity, writing female characters and meeting his fans
Surrealism, cafes and lots (and lots) of cats: why Japanese fiction is booming
From tales of alienation to comforting novels set in bookshops, Japanese authors have written nearly half of this year’s bestselling translated novels in the UK. What’s their secret?
Shortlisted 4thWrite prize stories reveal ‘desire to connect’
The six entries in the running for the short story prize for unpublished writers of colour, share a common interest in ‘exploring interiority and the nature of human existence’
You Are Here by David Nicholls audiobook review – a rain-soaked rural romcom
Narrators Lydia Leonard and Lee Ingleby capture the wit and wisdom at the heart of the One Day author’s story of a hike in the Lake District