London is the ideal playground for women who are solvent and young at heart but old enough to know better. Liz Hoggard opens her little black book for this discerning band of pleasure-seekers... more
England's sports captains should no longer be expected to have the morals of a bishop or be moral exemplars to the young, Rio Ferdinand's lawyer argued this week. Well, of course not... more
The circumstances surrounding the partial release of Kafka papers from their Zurich bank vault resembles an exceptionally complicated Victorian novel... more
Humming with sexual electricity, peopled by intellectuals and movie stars, the London library and the British Library are the capital's most unlikely hotspots - and each has its own ardent fans... more
Critics believe Tamasin Day-Lewis inspired a sultry character in Martin Amis’s latest novel. Here she tells how a childhood friendship with Amis turned to love... more
At first glance, the plan to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of Philip Larkin with a 25-week long festival in Hull looks like uphill work... more
First Lynda La Plante attacks novels written by celebrities. "Publishers, stop spending your millions on this tripe," she said at the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards earlier this month, singling out Katie Price for special opprobrium... more
If you are lucky enough to be invited to the GQ Men of the Year Awards - I was - then a word of advice. Make sure your arrival on the red carpet doesn't coincide with that of the beautiful people... more
It is a disgrace, no question, that the Government proposes to chisel a few bawbees off the bottom line by reducing the compensation payment to any victim of crime found to have convictions for motoring offences... more
JG Ballard – Jim to those who knew him – is considered by many to be the most significant author of the past 50 years. Here, one admirer pays tribute to his foremost literary inspiration and remembers an extraordinary and gentle man... more
As the literary world mourns the sudden death of Pat Kavanagh, a portrait is emerging of a steely operator and a woman who inspired awe and fear in equal measure... more
Shadow schools minister Michael Gove has revealed the Conservatives will not depart from Labour's commitment to encourage as many school-leavers as possible to go to university... more
Biopics of poets have never caught on in a very big way for good reasons. The main point about poets is the poetry they write - and watching people fiddle with words on a page just isn't a hot ticket... more
Cannabis in his pocket. Sex drugs in the fridge. Lovers galore - and a wife who got 'cuddly' with his best friend. Told for the first time, biographer Anne de Courcy reveals the inside story behind Princess Margaret's marriage.... more
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