4+ mon, 6+ day ago   (1288+ words) Until now, in a new memoir that has Siri Hustvedt writing about the highs, lows and late-life tragedies of their glamorous literary marriage. Siri Hustvedt was halfway through a new novel, about a writer tasked with completing his father’s unfinished…...

4+ mon, 2+ week ago   (1026+ words) A young woman’s dissociation from reality and her road to recovery are vividly rendered in this striking novel Meet Ada, the anguished young narrator of 26-year-old Albertine Clarke’s radically strange and engrossing debut novel. Adrift in London, Ada occupies herself…...

4+ mon, 3+ week ago   (378+ words) First there was the double tragedy that tore the family apart – then came a deadly diagnosis. The writer reflects on life after the death of her novelist husband We all die, but only some of us know our lives could…...

4+ mon, 3+ week ago   (1862+ words) Ten years after his debut novel, the poet and musician has written a follow-up exploring self-discovery and a life lived on the edge. He talks about sexuality, pronouns and drawing strength from the literature he lovesKae Tempest sidles into a…...

5+ mon, 3+ day ago   (529+ words) From bakers in London to night ferry operatives in Aberdeen, the author narrates atmospheric behind-the-scenes stories of the people who work while the world sleeps‘To stay out late, to remain awake and mobile from dusk till dawn, to walk…...

5+ mon, 4+ day ago   (1003+ words) The Guardian The Black Death by Thomas Asbridge review – a medieval horror story A magisterial history of one of the worst ever pandemics focuses on the individuals caught up in the horror In Venice, authorities tried to enforce social distancing…...

5+ mon, 1+ week ago   (177+ words) As medieval sages understood, putting things off – done well – can open the doors to creativity and purpose Across the self-help texts of the 1200s and 1300s I have discovered two approaches to procrastination: one is destructive, but the other is inspiring, even…...

5+ mon, 1+ week ago   (165+ words) The author’s father-in-law died just nine days after his cancer diagnosis, inspiring this moving and sharply observed account of his last days Novelist Sarah Perry’s memoir of her late father-in-law, David, chronicles the period from his first signs of illness,…...