4 h. ago Stuart Kelly on the year in books: 'It’s always telling which books I keep to re

Stuart Kelly runs through his favourite books of the year, and reflects on the outcomes of this year’s major literary awards

Politics

3 d. ago The Innocents of Florence by Joseph Luzzi review – how abandoned babies spurred a flowering of Renaissance art

The precarious, cruel but dazzling world of a foundling hospital is brought wonderfully to life by the author of Botticelli’s SecretJoseph Luzzi, a professor at Bard College in New York, is a Dante scholar whose books argue for the relevance of the great Italian art and literature of the late middle ages and Renaissance to our own times. A great populariser and advocate of the humanities in public life, he has done for Dante what his Bard colleague Daniel Mendelsohn did for Homer in An Odyssey and other books.This short volume tells the story of the Hospital of the Innocents in Dante’s home town of Florence, a building Luzzi has been fascinated by since encountering it in 1987 on his college year abroad. The Innocenti, as it is known, was the first institution in Europe devoted solely to the care of unwanted children. The first foundling, named Agata because she was left by its gates on Saint Agata’s Day 1445, had been nibbled at by mice. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago 'Devastated' Sarah Ferguson plans explosive career move after becoming 'virtual recluse'

Sarah Ferguson is said to have been left "devastated" by the Epstein scandal fallout and could be planning a tell-all book about her time with the Royal Family

Events

1 week ago Inside King Charles and Sarah Ferguson's relationship after claims of tell

Sources that have been linked to Sarah Ferguson have spoken out in response to widespread reports that she is planning to write a tell-all book similar to that written by Prince Harry

Politics

1 week ago Winter: The Story of a Season, by Val McDermid review: 'revealing'

Offering intriguing glimpses into her early life, Val McDermid’s love-letter to the coldest season makes Stuart Kelly wish she would write a full-length memoir

Politics

1 week ago Australia PM tells teens to ‘read a book and stop scrolling’ as social media ban comes into effect

New law forces major platforms to block under-16s as global attention turns to Australia’s experiment

Politics

1 week ago Story of Handmaid’s Tale becoming ‘more and more plausible’ – Margaret Atwood

The book tells the story of subjugated women called handmaids who are forced to be natal slaves.

Politics

2 w. ago The Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee review: 'ripe for TV adaptation'

The latest Wyndham and Bannerjee adventure is elegant, undemanding and full of fascinating detail, writes Stuart Kelly

Events

3 w. ago Sally Rooney says she will be unable to publish books in UK while Palestine Action banned

Author tells high court her public support for group means her books could disappear from UK stores altogetherThe Irish author Sally Rooney has told the high court she is highly unlikely to be able to publish new work in the UK while the ban on Palestine Action remains in effect because of her public support for the group.On the second day of the legal challenge to Palestine Action’s proscription, the effect on Rooney, who said her books could disappear from UK stores altogether, was held up as an example of its impact on freedom of expression. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago The Shipwright and the Shroudweaver by Rafael Torrubia review: 'bold, brassy, clever work'

This fantasy novel by Scots-Spanish writer Rafael Torrubia rattles along at a thrilling pace, writes Stuart Kelly

Politics

3 w. ago People smugglers hand out 'cheat' manual to migrants telling them to use 'Bidoon' loophole to gain asylum in UK

A 25-page booklet, written in Arabic, is said to tell migrants how to pretend to be from the Bidoon, or Bedoon, a largely stateless Arab minority in Kuwait.

Events

3 w. ago Prince Philip was 'reluctant to be charmed' by Meghan Markle

Writing in his tell-all book Entitled, Andrew Lownie revealed Philip's reluctant feelings towards the Suits star prior to their fairytale wedding at Windsor's St George's Chapel in May 2018.

Politics

4 w. ago Forbidden book omitted from the Bible reveals a vengeful child Jesus... and exposes why it was kept hidden

An omitted book of the Bible tells a different side of Jesus that early church leaders hoped to conceal from Christians.

Culture

4 w. ago Millie Mackintosh on sobriety, shame and the ‘grey areas’ we don’t talk about

Mackintosh’s dedication to staying sober and healthy is a self-love lesson for the ages, she tells Emilie Lavinia why she decided to write her book Bad Drunk

Politics

4 w. ago I am spending my retirement at sea: What life is like living permanently on board a cruise ship

Former high school language teacher Sharon Lane has read no less than 18 books since making an ‘investment in her life’. She tells Amelia Neath about moving aboard Villa Vie’s ‘Odyssey’ full time for a life at sea

Politics

4 w. ago Max Porter on The Thing With Feathers: 'Benedict Cumberbatch went to extreme places'

The Things With Feathers is a remarkable film about grief, based on the book by Max Porter, who tells us the hallucinatory extremes reflect the human experience of this taboo topic

Politics