The Latest Breaking News on Books

C Pam Zhang: ‘I was aware of the drift towards fascism in Europe’

The Chinese-born, US-based author, whose debut was longlisted for the 2020 Booker, on pursuing pleasure in a volatile world, her taste for chip butties and the joys of being a naive reader

The Guardian - UK · Jul 13, 2024

Smartphones are bad for kids – we don’t need to call on scientific data to know it

Jonathan Haidt’s claims about the effects of devices on children’s wellbeing have been criticised for lacking proof, but they tell us what we need to know

The Guardian - UK · Jul 13, 2024

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s diminutive and pioneering sex therapist, dies at 96

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, has died

The Independent UK · Jul 13, 2024

Five Great Reads: redirecting history on Palestine, meeting Cindy Sherman, and how to listen

Guardian Australia’s weekend wrap of essential reads from the past seven days, selected by Imogen Dewey

The Guardian - AU · Jul 12, 2024

Re-reading Alice Munro in the light of the secrets she kept and pain she caused

This week, Canadians heard about the enormity of Andrea Skinner’s suffering, following sexual abuse by her stepfather, and her mother Alice Munro’s decision to stay with and protect him.

The Conversation · Jul 12, 2024

Goldsmiths’ redundancy plan shows a lack of commitment to Black British literature

Letters: A group of academics express their concerns that Prof Deirdre Osborne, the co-founder of the MA Black British literature course at Goldsmiths, is facing the threat of redundancy

The Guardian - UK · Jul 12, 2024

Wole Soyinka at 90: writer and activist for justice

Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka, the legendary African author and activist, is proof of what words and acts can achieve in the struggle for justice and human rights. Soyinka, aged 90, embodies unrelenting activism and literary excellence.

The Conversation · Jul 12, 2024

Martha Whittome obituary

Other lives: Teacher and arts administrator who played an important part in the early days of the TS Eliot prize

The Guardian - UK · Jul 12, 2024

Royal Society of Literature names 29 new fellows including Elizabeth Day, Afua Hirsch and Mick Herron

The cohort was announced in addition to 13 honorary fellows including National Black Arts Alliance director SuAndi, amid criticism of the RSL earlier this year

The Guardian - UK · Jul 12, 2024

Visit from an Unknown Woman review – gripping study of obsession and fantasy

Christopher Hampton’s sleek adaptation of Stefan Zweig’s 1922 novella adds elements of the Austrian writer’s own life

The Guardian - UK · Jul 12, 2024