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Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman support £4.5m crowdfunding campaign to turn the Oxford 凯发官网网址多少home where Tolkien wrote his most famous books into a museum -
A stimulating guide, edited by Charlotte Lydia Riley, unpacks the arguments that are raging around free speech -
This page-turning thriller about class and race in the midst of unfolding catastrophe explores stasis, indecision and the agonies of parenting
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After calls to allow them to remain open during the second lockdown failed, the next three weeks will be vital for the sector
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Responses from 60,000 young readers show 33% feel unrepresented, with an even worse picture among poorer and minority ethnic readers
Books of the year
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A teenager’s nature diary, the race for a vaccine and the return of Lyra ... books have been vital in getting us through the year. Guardian critics pick 2020’s best fiction, poetry, politics, science and more
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The American writer suffers mockery and swallows chef ‘philosophy’ as he sets out to master high-craft cooking in Lyon -
Beaumont draws on multiple literary sources in his paean to the joys of thinking while pounding the city streets -
In reflections written during lockdown, the pontiff adds his weight to a growing group of people seeking a return to community-minded values
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The American imagines a comic-book post-apocalyptic future on a New England farm -
This intensely humane second novel, focused on the city’s ‘invisibles’, amplifies the questions Covid-19 has brought into sharp focus -
A Chicago cop causes ripples in a remote Irish village, and darkness descends on Dartmoor
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The Australian-American writer’s short fiction is full of precisely observed studies of thwarted connection -
Dedicated to her partner, Atwood’s first poetry collection in more than 10 years is wry and entertaining -
This overwhelming novel by ‘Iraq’s Irvine Welsh’ captures the alienation of people exiled by conflict
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America’s ambassador for young people’s literature talks about touring Trump country, facing down racism and why there’s no such thing as a bad kid -
History and the mysteries of the human heart take centre stage in this month’s best tales -
The last white rhino, a stolen inheritance, terrifying sea journeys and some ballet dancing bunnies me....
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Loneliness, isolation and grief were common themes in this year’s Cape/Observer award. But the winner made the judges laugh out loud -
The ghostwriter behind the memoirs of Keith Richards and David Bailey on difficult subjects -
The writer-star has had a baby, lost a close friend and published a memoir in lockdown. She talks about the trouble with male comedy writers – and why she wants to make a sketch show all about the clitoris
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The outspoken artist talks about his new book arriving in an ‘absolutely weird’ year and why Trump remains ‘the worst person in our known history’ -
The 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 -
The feminist writer on racism in her London childhood, her new book about female slaves, and the part Ghana played in shaping her identity
What to read
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Robert McCrum has reached a verdict on his selection of the 100 greatest novels written in English. Take a look at his list -
After two years of careful consideration, Robert McCrum has concluded his selection of the 100 greatest nonfiction books of all time. Take a quick look back at five centuries of great writing -
Regulars
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The and cook on a life-changing book by Marilynne Robinson, the snobbery surrounding commercial success, and the food writer she hugely admires -
Fragile but precious memories haunt this resonant sonnet
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William Shakespeare’s influence on English literature is enormous, but from Dr Johnson to Germaine Greer, some outstanding works have explored his legacy and life story
You may have missed
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Lying, paranoia and conspiracy are defining features of a totalitarian society. What hope is there for a brand new era, in the aftermath of an administration that has relied on all three? -
‘The dictator’, ‘this man’, ‘the president’ – over the last four years, s have gone out of their way to avoid Trump’s name. But why?
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An alertness to racial injustice, a weaponised word in the culture wars, a reflection of our times ... Kenya Hunt explores how the world woke up -
When Fariha Róisín started writing Like a Bird, she thought the traumatic event at its heart was just a dream. She explores the weight of a family secret
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