2 h. ago ‘I’m here to open doors’: Bernardine Evaristo on success, controversy and why she plans to donate her £100k award

The Girl, Woman, Other author has this week been awarded a one-off Women’s prize award for her outstanding contribution. She talks about her long road to recognition, and using her profile to support other writersBack in 2013, Bernardine Evaristo gave a reading in a south London bookshop from her novel Mr Loverman. Only six people showed up, a couple of them were dozing and she realised they were homeless people who had come to find somewhere comfortable to sleep. Last month, the hit TV adaptation Mr Loverman, about a 74-year-old gay Caribbean man set in Hackney, east London, won two Baftas, including leading actor for Lennie James, making him the first Black British actor to win the TV award in its 70-year history. “I checked Wikipedia!” Evaristo exclaims of this shocking fact when we meet in London.Evaristo’s long career is one of firsts and creating them for others. In 2019, at the age of 60, she became the first Black woman to win the Booker prize – shared with Margaret Atwood –...

Economics

2 h. ago My mother was a famous feminist writer known for her candour and wit. But she was also a fantasist who couldn’t be bothered to spend time raising me

When Fear of Flying, her autobiographical novel about women’s sexual desires, came out in 1973, Erica Jong was suddenly big news. But growing up as her only child, I had a very different experienceIn August 1978, I was born in a hospital in Stamford, Connecticut. I came out with red hair. This was proof to my mother that I was special. The fantasy of my specialness continued my entire life. I was special even though I was dyslexic. I was special even though I got kicked out of college. I was special even though I was a drug addict. I was special despite my fatness. I was special despite all the evidence to the contrary. I was special because I was a piece of her.I read an interview with my mother in which the interviewer described me as a “stout” toddler. “Stout” means “kind of fat”. I never thought of a toddler as being able to be fat, but there it was. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Dunelm's 'cheerful' gingham summer bedding is so good people are buying more than one set

The lightweight duvet set comes in a range of colours and it's had a price drop too just in time for the warmer weather

Politics

2 h. ago BaByliss hair straightener that works 'just as well as ghd' drops from £90 to £30

'My wife was absolutely delighted with the BaByliss Rose Gold Styler—a true game changer in her daily beauty routine.'

Economics

4 h. ago The Potato Eaters review – a descent from visceral dread into full

Lazzaretto Vecchio, VeniceOn the site of a hospital for leprosy patients, audience members are invited to wander in near darkness among twitching body bags into a choreographed scene of ritualised tyrannyThere are strong Death in Venice vibes to the setting of Romeo Castellucci’s site specific production at the Venice Biennale Teatro. The show, by the Italian writer-director and his company, inhabits its own island – a long, lizard-like colony. The audience boards a shuttle and skims across the water to arrive at a building that was once a lazaretto – a hospital for leprosy patients. Associations with fatal infection and social isolation are chillingly resonance of the Covid pandemic. But as you wander into this disturbing promenade piece, things turn chilly in more ways than one.The building’s interior is stripped of its skin so that its brick and rafters lie bare, and there is a low electronic rumble of sound along its corridors which is as disquieting as the near darkness. Window...

Politics

5 h. ago Minister dismisses US fears about China's London 'super embassy' as White House warns against letting Beijing build near sensitive City sites

The Trump administration has urged Downing Street to block the proposed development close to London financial centres amid fears that it will be used to tap into commercial information.

Events

5 h. ago Nick Knowles' wife Katie forced to hit back as fans label her 'desperate' after racy snap

Nick Knowles' fiancée Katie Dadzie was subjected to cruel trolling after she shared a snap of herself in a barely-there pink lingerie set, with Nick stood behind her

Events

6 h. ago White House urges Keir Starmer to block Chinese 'super embassy' in London amid national security fears

‘The Chinese Communist Party has a clear track record of targeting critical infrastructure’, Trump administration warns

Events

6 h. ago White House urges Starmer to block Chinese 'super embassy' in London

White House urges Starmer to block Chinese 'super embassy' in London  London Evening Standard

Events

6 h. ago Joanna Dennehy's twisted henchmen: Female serial killer had two 'nodding dog' devoted followers plan murders, dump bodies and hide her in their homes but where are they now?

A tall but overweight man wearing scruffy clothes lifts up his shirt provocatively and stares gormlessly into the camera as he poses on the balcony of a suburban council block.

Events

7 h. ago If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a youth hostel to give their parents a break | Nell Frizzell

Forget luxury escapes: it’s more fun to share time and space with people of all ages and from all walks of lifeI’ve never been in a band. But I have been to a youth hostel with four babies, which is sort of the same thing. Everywhere we turned there was singing, selfies, strangers coming up to us in the street and women getting their boobs out – it was the Small Faces, but with actual small faces.My God, how I love youth hostels. In all their strange, intergenerational, shared washing-up sponges and boot-room glory, they are the best of us. You can keep your sponsored hotel stays and luxury apartments as far as I’m concerned. Give me a fluorescent-lit kitchen with five electric hobs and a roll of stickers to label your milk any day.Nell Frizzell is a journalist and author Continue reading...

Society

7 h. ago 'I found the perfect 'blonzing' product for summer and it rivals rhode's popular blushes'

'Blonzers' are on the rise for summer, and Mirror's shopping writer Grace tested out Refy's newest blush drop to see how it looked on the skin

Politics

8 h. ago Raising school fees torments many Africans. Some expect the Catholic Church to do more to help

Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest school dropout rates and a driving factor is that parents are being crushed by unpredictable school fees

Politics

8 h. ago 52 tiny annoying problems, solved! (Because when you can’t control the big stuff, start small)

Experts, Guardian readers and writers share ingenious solutions to life’s everyday irritations, from wobbly tables to persistent hiccupsStuffed-up sievesAlways use a dishwasher. If one isn’t available, soak in the sink first, to loosen particles, then take a dish brush or nail brush to it. Rinse under a fast hot tap.Aggie MacKenzie, TV presenter and author Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago How to make excellent pizza at home – no pizza oven (or pizzaiolo training) required

It started with a walk, a glass of wine and a pizza dropped face-down on the floor. Hannah Twiggs shares her dad’s hard-earned lessons in home pizza – plus three topping combos worth arguing over

Politics

8 h. ago Travel writer picks out the best men's cabin bags for Father's Day 2025

Discover the perfect gift for the man in your life who loves to pack well

Politics

12 h. ago Tiny suitcase label which 'guarantees' your luggage is first off the plane

After hours of travelling, waiting in the baggage hall to be reunited with your suitcase can be a long, drawn out process - but not for everyone

Politics

12 h. ago Tesco introduces huge Clubcard perk in car parks but there's a catch

Supermarket giant Tesco has just dropped a generous perk for customers using the store's car parks, but not every single shopper will be able to benefit from the incentive

Politics

15 h. ago Jewish football writer's son: I'll not let Gary Lineker anywhere near Dad's memorial after antisemitic rat emoji post

Celebrated reporter Glanville, who died aged 93, was Jewish and his son Mark said: 'I am not having Lineker anywhere near Dad's memorial.'

Politics

15 h. ago Neil Lennon challenges Rangers, Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen to raise standards after 'drop off' in quality

Lennon reckons the football - outwith his old club Celtic - is not as exciting as it used to be and hopes to see an improvement in the coming season

Politics