‘Candid’, ‘gripping’, ‘compulsory reading’: the best Australian books out in May
Each month, Guardian Australia editors and critics pick out the upcoming titles they’ve already devoured – or can’t wait to get their hands on
Blood Feather by Patrick McGuinness review – on the wings of grief
The multitalented writer returns to poetry after 13 years with a striking, moving collection sparked by the death of his mother
Poem of the week: The North Wind by Anne Brontë
This free-spirited romantic adventure story is one of Anne Brontë’s ‘Gondal poems’
On my radar: Aaron Dessner’s cultural highlights
The producer and musician from rock band the National on an inspirational Ethiopian pianist, a great Icelandic book on the climate crisis, and the cuisine of the Hudson Valley
The best recent poetry – review roundup
Tomorrow Someone Will Arrest You by Meena Kandasamy; Divisible By Itself and One by Kae Tempest; To 2040 by Jorie Graham; Local Interest by Emily Hasler; The Ink Cloud Reader by Kit Fan
Pushkin must fall: monuments to Russia’s national poet under threat in Ukraine
Since last February’s invasion more than 30 statues of the 19th-century poet seen as a symbol for tsarist imperialism have been dismantled
The Laureate review – writers throuple up in sinisterly erotic literary thriller
The scandalous love triangle between poet Robert Graves, his feminist wife and a charismatic American writer is the subject of this erotic and entertainingly silly film
Poem of the week: Of Human Knowledge by Sir John Davies
A sharp and lucid case for gaining wisdom through adversity rather than books
In brief: The Short End of the Sonnenallee; Oxblood; Because They Can Play F’cking Good Football – reviews
A pitch-perfect East German novel translated by Jonathan Franzen; a gripping tale of the Manchester underworld; and Erik ten Hag in verse
What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in April
Authors, critics and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments
Menage a quatre: why most poetic biopics are romantic fiction
Director William Nunez describes why he focused on a time when the poet Robert Graves – best known for a memoir Goodbye to All That and historical novel I, Claudius – left his wife and family in pursuit of creativity at any cost
Heard the one about the standup lawyer? Why even top artists now need a side job
Want to survive in the arts? Get a side hustle. We speak to an award-winning poet and governance manager, a gigging guitarist and teacher – and a successful comic who doubles as an immigration lawyer
Sarah Holland-Batt wins Stella prize for ‘tender’ poems about her father’s death
Poet and outspoken advocate for aged care reform is the second poet in a row to win $60,000 award for Australian women and non-binary writers
Poem of the week: In the Tunnel of Summers by Anne Stevenson
The blurring of time in the fragile experience of summers past and present provides the ground for this poignant reflection
How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney review – secret shame and practical woodwork
The writer’s impressionistic second novel follows a pupil and teacher as they navigate the social codes of rural Ireland