Why can't a man have a close friendship with another man 16 years his junior? Why should it be so "unlikely"? Why can't a married man have a male friend to stay overnight at home while his wife is stranded by a volcanic ash cloud? Stop sniggering at the back... more
The shock exclusion today of Alan Hollinghurst from the Man Booker shortlist paved the way for Julian Barnes to reach the last six of the Man Booker prize... more
It was Julian Barnes who dubbed the Booker Prize "posh bingo". And happily his numbers may be up again as he has been longlisted for this year's prize for The Sense of An Ending... more
The judges for the Man Booker Prize change every year, so although the award appears to have a continuous identity as the arbiter of excellence in English language fiction, in reality what you get each time is a bit of a toss-up... more
When fantasising about watching one's own funeral you never picture the lame reality of how it will actually be, so pity the royals for whom this has come true: Demoted to "Other Notables" by the BBC...... 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
Celebrity sells at an astonishing rate, yet at its heart the UK still loves a book for itself and London is a great champion of literature. These are the people who keep us reading.
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John le Carre has a new book out but it will win him no prizes: he disdains honours and forbids his novels from being put forward for the Booker Prize. And a good thing too, when so many fine novels have been overlooked for the award in its
40-year history... more
Andrew Neil, the broadcaster and former editor of The Sunday Times, today bought one of Britain's leading literary and talent agencies for £4 million... more
Tonight:
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