A crude conspiracy theory
David Hirsh: We must discredit the claim that the "Israel Lobby" controls US foreign policy. But defend the right to publish it.
Double agent
Norah Vincent spent 18 months disguised as a man. She relives the boys nights out, the bad dates - and what happened when she ended up in bed with another woman.
Thirst for war
Cameron Duodu: The Kenyan drought could be fixed if the west preferred to save lives rather than end them.
Behind every great male writer …
This week Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, revealed that his wife Blythe helps him write his bestsellers. It puts him in good company, writes Hadley Freeman.
Shackleton’s Aurora could fetch £20,000
A book published by Ernest Shackleton while he was in the Antarctic has been found in stables in Northumberland.
Atwood sign of the times draws blank
Around 40 people had turned up to the McNally-Robinson bookstore on Prince Street in downtown Manhattan to witness Margaret Atwood signing books in New York despite the fact she was in London with her new invention, the LongPen. Unfortunately, a technical hitch meant they went home disappointed.
Life on the front line
Linda Grant's The People on the Street should be obligatory reading on both sides of the Israel-Palestine divide, says Ian Black.
Fighting for fiction
These are tough times for writers in Zimbabwe, says Martin Goodman.
John La Rose
Obituary: An elder statesman of the black community, he campaigned for justice, cultural and social change.
New York library buys personal archives of Naked Lunch author
· Burroughs' unpublished completed works included· Scholarly access to papers expected next year
My years in captivity
Moazzam Begg was abducted and handed over to US forces. Here he tells of endless interrogations, of torture - and one bright moment.