The end of the affair

To many British Jews between the wars, haunted by poverty and fascism, communism seemed to hold the answer. In this exclusive extract from his new book, Jonathan Freedland tells the story of his great-uncle Mick's two doomed romances - with the party, and with his closest comrade.

A hunger for truth

Carolina Maria de Jesus lived in a shanty town when she began keeping the diary that famously exposed the wretchedness of Brazil's poor. 50 years on, her story is still relevant, says Felipe Fortuna.

Lucien Carr

Obituary Fallen angel of the beat poets, later an unflappable news editor with United Press.

Kabelo Duiker

Obituary: Young South African novelist scarred by a childhood of apartheid.

Cry, the beloved country

Justin Hill on Michela Wrong's moving and ultimately uplifting account of Eritrea's emancipation, I Didn't Do It For You.

Ephraim Kishon

Obituary: Playwright and novelist whose satires shaped Israel's social agenda.

Mamdouh Udwan

Obituary: Mamdouh Udwan, who has died of cancer aged 63, was one of Syria's best-known writers. He distinguished himself as poet, novelist, dramatist, critic and translator.