Despair and mayhem in downtown slums of Kingston
Armed gangs, police corruption and political indifference have turned Jamaica's capital into a place of mayhem and violence
Montaigne, philosopher of life, part 3: Believer and doubter
Sarah Bakewell: How to believe: Montaigne's scepticism was of a very different breed to ours. For him, reason and evidence were as suspect as anything else
Barack Obama declares $5.5m income in 2009
Most of earnings came from book sales, as Obama family discloses assets of $7.7m and charitable donations of $329,000
Laura Bush autobiography finds favour with American public
Former first lady shifts almost 150,000 copies of her memoir in a week, taking No 2 spot in American book charts
Irish author Bree O’Mara killed in Libya plane crash
Flight was South African-born writer's second attempt to reach London to sign book deal after delay caused by ash cloud
So what if Egypt’s Copts find a book insulting?
Khaled Diab: Following the lead of Islamists, Egyptian Christians are trying to ban an award-winning novel because it 'insults' Christianity
Montaigne, philosopher of life, part 1: How to live
Sarah Bakewell: How to believe: What is it to be a human being? Why do I behave as I do? Montaigne did not flinch from these essential questions
Vasily Grossman, Russia’s greatest chronicler, awaits redemption
Russia holds biggest ever parades celebrating defeat of Nazis but turns its back on writer who witnessed it all
Books and the ballot box
Richard Adams: In light of Nick Clegg naming Samuel Beckett as his literary hero, can admiring an author really affect a politician's chances?
Cosima Wagner: Lady of Bayreuth by Oliver Hilmes
Was this queen of the horrible house of Wagner really the missing link between the composer and Hitler, asks Paul Levy
Pioneering publisher reshapes Egypt’s literary landscape
In Cairo, Mohamed Hashem's new wave of talent reflects urban change
Bhutto memoir provokes angry reaction in Pakistan
Critics and relatives denounce Fatima Bhutto's book that links her aunt, Benazir Bhutto, with the deaths of her two brothers
It’s like locking up Burma’s Billy Bragg
Melissa Benn: Aung San Suu Kyi does not stand alone. Let's show our support for Zarganar and the thousands persecuted by a brutal junta
Marilyn Monroe book reveals film star’s DIY and cooking tips
Unseen diary entries show tragic Hollywood star's intellectual side, not least her thoughts on Italian renaissance art
Egyptian law gives fanatics free rein
Brian Whitaker: An attempt to ban One Thousand and One Nights for being 'obscene' shows the hesba principle is increasingly misused