Christopher Hitchens 1-0 Tony Blair

Staunch atheist wins over audience in debate with Catholic convert over whether religion is a force for good in the world

John Chinnery obituary

Sinologist, head of the department of Chinese at Edinburgh University and founder of the Scotland-China Association

William James, part 6: Mystical states

Mark Vernon: How to believe: James's discussion of mysticism is not unproblematic, but there is significant value in the way he frames the subject

How the King James Bible shaped the English language

The King James Bible turns 400 next year, and even in multicultural, secular modern Britain its influence is still profound, says Robert McCrum

Enough is Enough: How to Build a New Republic by Fintan O’Toole – review

Fintan O'Toole's manifesto for a new Ireland impresses Sean O'Hagan

Looking at Ireland, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry

As the moneymen from the IMF move into Dublin, novelist Colm Tóibín considers his country's bloody past, turbulent present and uncertain future

Patti Smith, godmother of punk, wins award for her autobiography

Memoir of her bohemian days with artist Robert Mapplethorpe earns acclaimed musician National Book Award in US

Sarah Palin’s Alaska bears bad news about the future

The Alaskan author David Vann fears the Republican leading lady's bear-bothering reality show as a portent

Women are their own worst enemies, study finds

The Twisted Sisterhood book says 90% of women surveyed have felt mean and negative 'undercurrents' from other women

Patti Smith wins National Book Award with Robert Mapplethorpe story

Singer-songwriter's memoir of life with photographer and within 1960s New York scene wins prestigious US prize

Longest burp, anyone?

Bizarre entries from 2011's Guinness Book of World Records

Death and discrimination in Singapore

Parvais Jabbar and Saul Lehrfreund: The writer Alan Shadrake has been jailed for exposing the lottery of Singapore's execution rates. It is scandalous