Shuggie Bain’s tale tells us that the Booker prize has matured

A Scot’s success led to uproar in 1994 – but not this year, with the triumph of Douglas Stuart. Maybe the award is growing up

Jan Morris: She sensed she was ‘at the very end of things’. What a life it was …

In her final interview, just before the first lockdown, the renowned travel writer spoke cheerfully of her last journey

Invoking a fantasy Winston Churchill won’t help as Brexit becomes grim reality

The cult of Churchill as a little Englander standing up to Europe has no basis in history

From rewilding to forest schools, our attitude to nature is changing for the better

The statistics may be terrifying – but the UK’s approach to natural habitats is undergoing a quiet transformation, says author Melissa Harrison

Alan Rickman’s 27 volumes of diaries to be published as one book

The Diaries of Alan Rickman, written by the actor until his death with the intention of one day publishing them, will be released in autumn 2022

Booker winner Douglas Stuart: ‘I owe Scotland everything’

The author of Shuggie Bain talks about growing up in Glasgow in the 80s, the dangers of ‘poverty safari’ and what he’ll do now he has won the prestigious literary prize

Jan Morris, historian, travel writer and trans pioneer, dies aged 94

From her Everest scoop to her journey as a trans woman, the author’s authoritative voice and questioning mind found an eager audience

Blue plaque for anti-slavery campaigner Ottobah Cugoano

Recognition of 18th-century pioneer on London building is earliest for a black person

Douglas Stuart’s Booker win heralds arrival of a fully formed voice

Shuggie Bain is heartbreaking, but never mawkish – and already a favourite with readers

Douglas Stuart wins Booker prize for debut Shuggie Bain

Scottish-American wins £50,000 for autobiographical novel about a boy growing up in 80s Glasgow, which is ‘destined to be a classic’

Boris the Menace? Beano to publish first comic for grownups

The prime minister and Dominic Cummings to feature in one-off edition BeanOLD

‘I feel joy’: how Bisha K Ali went from struggling standup to Marvel maestro

She was living on beans. Now she’s in LA writing Ms Marvel, the eagerly awaited TV series starring MCU’s first Muslim superhero. The writer talks about joyriding premiers and how to silence trolls

The bigger picture: should British museums sell to stay afloat?

As galleries auction off treasures to retain staff and plug cash gaps left by Covid, the art world is divided on ethics of disposal

A Chicago story with lessons for libraries everywhere

Chicago’s decision to abolish overdue book fines led to the return of lost books and an increase in borrowers

‘Treasure trove’ of unseen Ted Hughes and Seamus Heaney writing found

Affectionate friendship between the two poets and artist Barrie Cooke, united by a love of fishing, revealed in a collection of correspondence that was believed lost