Spare us from romcom Austen. Give me the dark side of 19th-century life any day

Why sanitise or sugarcoat the classics? New adaptations of Austen and Brontë could explore everything from slavery to death in childbirth, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Digested week: Hit or miss? Conker unboxing craze leaves me baffled

Plus, unpacking the reason for Ikea’s success and why it’s time for the world to consciously uncouple from Gwyneth Paltrow

Blue plaque to be unveiled at home of Thomas the Tank Engine creator

Ceremony marks 80 years since release of the Rev W Awdry’s first book and coincides with railway bicentenary

‘The jobless should lead the attack’: a radical Jamaican journalist in 1920s London

The long read: Economic insecurity, race riots, incendiary media … Claude McKay was one of the few Black journalists covering a turbulent period that sounds all too familiar to us today

The story behind the spy stories: show reveals secrets of John le Carré’s craft

How author researched his plots and letters from Alec Guinness feature in Oxford exhibition

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says she is terrified her sons will ‘join manosphere’

Nigerian-American author tells Cheltenham literature festival audience having boys made her ‘worry more’

The Freak: script of Charlie Chaplin’s unfinished final film to be published

Exclusive: Fantasy about ‘a beautiful creature with wings’ has been compiled from drafts, storyboards and sketches

Bath mats, candles and underpants: would Basquiat have loved or hated all the merch?

New book The Making of an Icon examines artist whose works have become almost ubiquitous

‘Very significant’ Jack Kerouac story discovered after mafia boss auction

Exclusive: Two-page 1957 manuscript signed by author linked to his classic of beat literature On the Road

A book is being marketed with mayo-scented ink. Jealous? Me?

With the rise of TikTok and two-tier marketing budgets, something’s off in the world of publishing (and it’s not just the aroma), says author David Barnett

UK libraries urged to remove children’s books with URL hijacked by porn site

Puffin issues alert to schools and local authorities over books in popular Spy Dog series by Andrew Cope

Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard to chair Women’s prize for fiction in 2026

Gillard reveals reading fiction is her most treasured pastime and looks forward to working with ‘a joyful panel of judges’

Sunder Katwala on race, patriotism and flag-waving: ‘The far right is vocal and angry because it is shrinking’

The director of British Future has spent his career trying to find common ground when it comes to race and immigration. He describes his own experience of racism – and why he’s still hopeful for the UK

‘Laugh, muchachos’: Spitting Image studio sued after Paddington Bear episode

StudioCanal and author’s estate taking action over video depicting Paddington with South American accent snorting powder

Jilly Cooper, author of Rivals and Riders, dies aged 88

The author of 18 ‘bonkbuster’ novels including Riders, Rivals and Bella has died following a fall