The NS Poem: West Cork
A new poem by Kevin Cahill.
ByLiterature
Immerse yourself in the captivating world of literature with our collection of articles, offering literary analysis, book recommendations, author spotlights, and thought-provoking discussions that celebrate the written word.
France and the fatwa
The attack on Salman Rushdie has exposed the deepening fault lines in French culture.
By
Natalia Ginzburg’s small worlds
Years of anti-fascist struggle shaped the author’s intense portraits of family life in Mussolini’s Italy. Now, her books are undergoing…
By
Mohsin Hamid: “After 9/11, I was treated as a potential terrorist”
The Booker-shortlisted author on race, America and his new novel, The Last White Man.
By
The best children’s books for summer 2022
Magic and nature help children confront their fears in the best new books for young readers.
By
A life without peace
A new collection of autobiographical prose reveals the turbulent inner life of the celebrated poet Robert Lowell.
By
The attack on Salman Rushdie is an attack on a global community of writers and readers
The freedom of expression and imagination that the novelist has bravely championed for so long is under renewed assault.
By
The mysterious life of Inez Holden
The novelist and former Bright Young Thing ably captured Britain in the early 20th century. Her work deserves to be…
By
Raymond Briggs’ genius was his understanding of loss
The writer and illustrator has died aged 88. From The Snowman to When the Wind Blows, his work was sensitive…
By
Censoring university reading lists is crude and condescending
“Offence” isn’t the only way to measure the worth of literature.
By
Mark Haddon: “I’m quite lucky to be alive”
The novelist on his triple heart bypass, literature’s “culture wars”, and why he’s donating book royalties to abortion funds in…
By
Philip Larkin is a love poet who doesn’t trust love
He offers an uncensored picture of a damaged and unhappy sensibility – but leaves us with the possibility of hope.
By
Swapping the sunshine for the dark fatalism of Kurt Vonnegut
In Unstuck in Time, a new documentary about the writer, Vonnegut says he prefers laughter to crying – and it’s…
By
A fatal attraction
Thomas Mann, German identity and the romantic allure of Russia.
By
Latin and Greek are not just for the elite
Studying classics has many values, not least helping you spot when charlatan politicians cover their deficiencies with Cicero quotes.
By
Why are so many literary prizes closing?
As several prizes are forced to pause or shut down, writers in the UK say they are losing a “lifeline”.
By
The lying life of Emmanuel Carrère
In his new book, Yoga, the French literary star is fixated on truth – so why does he play fast…
By
How the New Statesman is helping universities understand our changing world
The New Statesman is partnering with leading universities to ensure faculty heads and students benefit from the title’s award-winning writing…
By
The last days of Percy Bysshe Shelley
Two hundred years after he drowned, Shelley’s poems of tyranny and freedom speak to our own darkening age.
By
Since when is the point of an English degree getting a “highly skilled” job?
This government’s Gradgrindist education policies seem like a deliberate assault on independent thought.
By