Incinerated novels and destroyed warehouses: Russia’s war on Ukrainian books A Ukrainian publishing boom sparked by the 2022 invasion is now under threat from the force and frequency of Russian attacks The Guardian - UK · Oct 4
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing audiobook review – solitude and creativity in Manhattan Tilda Swinton narrates this landmark study of how New York artists from Edward Hopper to Andy Warhol have lived with loneliness The Guardian - UK · Jun 18
Radical Reads, Dark Gems and Big Ideas—The Books Everyone Will Be Talking About This Winter Your end-of-year book hit list Marie Claire · Nov 28, 2025
Cinema’s most notorious film: Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò turns 50 Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom is turning 50. One of cinema’s most notorious films, Salò continues to be approached with trepidation – if approached at all. The Conversation · Nov 20, 2025
The Silver Book by Olivia Laing review – a thin line of beauty The world of 1970s Italian cinema is the glossy backdrop for an elegantly wrought but shallow novel The Guardian - UK · Nov 13, 2025
Olivia Laing on writing their second novel The Silver Book: ‘It was one of those eerie experiences that happens once in a lifetime’ INTERVIEW: Few living writers have had as impressive a career in non-fiction as this British author – but now they’re leaving it all behind. Laing speaks to Hannah Ewens about turning to fiction, creativity and their political queer romance novel, The Silver Book The Independent UK · Nov 8, 2025
Friday essay: in an uncertain world, ‘green relief’ offers respite, healing and beauty Have you ever sat with a cup of tea at the end of a weeding session, with a feeling close to happiness? Or returned from the local garden centre with a bag of potting mix and some plants – and soon the sight of your newly planted herbs or flowers… The Conversation · Apr 10, 2025
Between the lines: what do White Lotus characters’ book choices tell us? Season three offers up clues to characters’ psyches – or perhaps their fates – by showing us their holiday reads The Guardian - UK · Mar 28, 2025
On my radar: Alison Goldfrapp’s cultural highlights The electropop star on her favourite quirky bookshop, Marmite and cheese pastries and the second series of Severance The Guardian - UK · Jan 25, 2025
Best non-fiction books of 2024: True crime, fandom and the dangers of nostalgia THE LIST: From investigations into digital algorithms and the impact of smartphones to a history of Victoria’s Secret, there’s something for everyone in Katie Rosseinsky’s edit of 2024’s best non-fiction The Independent UK · Dec 2, 2024
‘Are you good in bed?’ Jilly Cooper on horses, lefties and which fictional character she would like to sleep with As her much-loved story Rivals is turned into a lavish Disney+ production, the author answers questions from Observer readers and famous fans including David Tennant, Caitlin Moran and Gillian Anderson The Guardian - UK · Sep 29, 2024
Strange Relations: Masculinity, Sexuality and Art in Mid-Century America by Ralf Webb review – sex and the literary lions A concise study of Tennessee Williams, John Cheever, Carson McCullers and James Baldwin, and how their sexuality informed their work, veers between lecture-hall lit crit and novelistic immediacy The Guardian - UK · Jul 30, 2024
Friday essay: ‘like being hungry’ – loneliness afflicts nearly 1 in 3 Australians. It can be devastating, but can spark creativity or change My sharpest experience of loneliness was during the New Year period when I turned 22. Following the breakdown of a youthful and doomed marriage, I had landed in a new country, in a city, Wellington, where the only people I had contact with were at the job I’d just started.… The Conversation · Jul 11, 2024
Olivia Laing on the politics of gardens: ‘A garden is a rebel state’ When Olivia Laing began restoring a walled garden in Suffolk, the writer found that green spaces can also be sites of beauty, refuge and radical politics. They speak to Lucy Jones about their new book, ‘The Garden Against Time’ The Independent UK · May 20, 2024
Wallpaper · May 14, 2024 'They all have hidden relationships with colonialism and enclosure': Olivia Laing's new book considers the garden Olivia Laing's new book, 'The Garden Against Time', considers the social, political and cultural contexts of a garden
The Guardian - UK · May 13, 2024 Thrill me, hide me, restore me: what can we learn about artists from their gardens? From the spectacular Tarot Garden Niki de Saint Phalle built in Tuscany to Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture oasis in St Ives, artists’ green spaces are about so much more than plants and pruning
The Guardian - UK · May 2, 2024 The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing review – earthly paradise A vivid account of bringing a garden back to life underlines the importance of outdoor space for all
The Guardian - UK · Apr 28, 2024 The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing review – an Eden project of her own While a cast of literary heavyweights grace Laing’s account of her garden restoration, the real joys lie in her detailed description of the pruning and the planting and the soothing effect on her state of mind
The Independent UK · Jan 4, 2024 The best non-fiction books to read in 2024 From candid memoirs to provocative essay collections, 2024’s forthcoming non-fiction is enticing. Jessie Thompson shares our guide to what you need on your reading pile
Evening Standard · Nov 22, 2023 'I grew up on an estate — the class prejudice in Saltburn repelled me' Emerald Fennell’s new film is a sign that we are in desperate need of new voices, says Alexandra Jones
The Conversation · Oct 19, 2023 Friday essay: how women writers helped me find my voice after divorce When my 25-year marriage broke down in 2017, I did what I always do in my life, especially in times of crisis. I turned to books. Specifically, to books by women.
The Guardian - UK · Oct 5, 2023 ‘A painful absence all of the time’: the best descriptions of loneliness in literature The last word, our series about emotions in books, focuses on depictions of isolation this month, from a memoir of grief to Sam Selvon’s Windrush chronicle
The Guardian - UK · Aug 30, 2023 Top 10 books about solitary living Finding your way without the social template of romantic love is a tough challenge, but writers from Deborah Levy to Hanya Yanagihara offer clues to how it can be done
The Guardian - UK · Aug 22, 2023 Nothing Ever Just Disappears review – fascinating journeys into LGBTQ+ courage Diarmuid Hester’s travelogue celebrates the history of queer spaces in 20th century subculture, from Josephine Baker’s Paris to EM Forster’s Cambridge
The Guardian - UK · Aug 13, 2023 In the trees with 90s ecowarriors: Olivia Laing on Janine Wiedel’s protest photos The bestselling author, who joined the protest camp documented in the photographer’s new book, argues its spirit is more vital than ever