Burgess papers reveal alternatives to notorious Earthly Powers ‘catamite’ opening
As the novel turns 40, researchers discover manuscripts with different versions of the provocative first line
The Great British Battle: how the fight against coronavirus spread a new nationalism
With the country in crisis and the NHS stretched to breaking point, Boris Johnson’s government has seized on war rhetoric, national pride and nostalgia
Research finds reading books has surged in lockdown
Survey of 1,000 people reports time spent with books has almost doubled, with thrillers and crime the favoured genres
Bryan Washington’s ‘kickass’ short stories win £30,000 Dylan Thomas prize
Debut collection Lot, focused on Houston’s marginalised communities, praised for opening up an ‘otherwise unknowable’ world
Dishoom asks cookbook pirates to donate to charity appeal
After a bootleg of its recipe book was sent to ‘everyone and their nice auntie’, restaurant chain appeals to readers to buy copies or donate to Hospitality Action
Writers like Elena Ferrante are putting the pain of teenage girls centre stage
Female authors’ coming-of-age stories, including Normal People, can help us reassess our attitudes to the trauma of youth, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Sally Rooney’s Normal People tops UK book charts as readers fall for TV version
Costa award-winning love story of Connell and Marianne takes top slot from David Walliams’ bestselling children’s book Slime
Will coronavirus lead to fairer societies? Thomas Piketty explores the prospect
Economist discusses the effects of pandemic on economies, societies and globalisation
British Library asks nation’s children to write miniature books in lockdown
Axel Scheffler and Jacqueline Wilson are adding micro-works to scheme asking youngsters to follow the Brontës’ lead and write their own tiny tales
Stanley Johnson lands book deal to republish virus thriller
The Virus, first published in 1982, will be reissued this summer after the PM’s father shrugged off accusations of cashing in on the coronavirus crisis
Sacha Dhawan to star as a standup in Nikesh Shukla’s lockdown drama
Yash Gill’s Power Half Hour, directed by Milli Bhatia, is among a new batch of Virtual Collaborators films released this week
Hebridean island divided after memoir explores darker fringe of Highland life
Neighbours of Tamsin Calidas, who moved to Scotland from London, are keen to put their side as her book I am an Island looks set for success
‘I came face to face with Dennis Nilsen’: poet laureate Simon Armitage
The former probation officer tells Desert Island Discs of the time he was in ‘a tiny room’ with the serial killer
Julia Roberts: No Met ball bubbly? There’s always the bath
With New York’s glitziest fashion event in lockdown, people rose to the occasion on social media
Majority of small publishers fear closure in wake of coronavirus
Survey shows 60% expect the impact of the pandemic may put them out of business, prompting calls for concerted help