James Salter’s machismo myth
The all-action American novelist is praised for his virile heroics – but it was his instinct for “the feminine” that…
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.
Anthony Burgess’s Napoleon complex
In Napoleon Symphony, the life of the French statesman was transformed into a virtuoso romp that still dazzles 50 years…
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The case against George Orwell
As with DH Lawrence, Orwell’s private life has imperilled his reputation. Is there a way back?
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Why the novel matters
We read and write fiction because it asks impossible questions, and leads us boldly into the unknown.
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Joan Didion vs Eve Babitz
Lili Anolik’s dual biography reveals the writers’ vicious battle to be the true voice of 1970s California.
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Quitting social media gave me a new creed: only disconnect
Online, intimacy is imagined and mystery non-existent. It’s time to lose our smartphones and find ourselves again.
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Alan Hollinghurst’s English underground
Our finest living social novelist has made it his mission to disrupt the sexual and literary status quo.
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Robert Icke Q&A: “Shakespeare is apparently infinite”
The award-winning playwright on the nobility of teachers and the masterpiece that is The Sopranos.
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Books of the year 2024
New Statesman writers and guests choose their favourite reading of the year.
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The political afterlife of Paradise Lost
From white supremacists to black activists, readers have sought moral legitimacy in Milton’s epic poem.
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Celebrity book clubs are bad for literature
The novel becoming a cultural accessory means to look like a reader, not be one.
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JG Ballard’s apocalyptic art
In Empire of the Sun, published 40 years ago, the great novelist turned his childhood experiences in a Japanese prisoner-of-war…
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Janet Frame’s asylum dreams
The New Zealand author, born 100 years ago, was both tormented and inspired by her experience of mental illness.
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Bonfire of the humanities
With departments in decline, the English professor has become a risible figure in the British novel.
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Edna O’Brien was the last great Irish iconoclast
Great Irish literature is defined by dissent. So why do so many writers uphold the status quo?
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Why I feel like a literary Gareth Southgate
Also this week: My part in the great IT outage, and trying to impress Keir Starmer.
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Labour’s anti-intellectual moment
The past three decades have seen the Everymanification of British politics.
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The anti-Baillie Gifford mob wants to police art. Writers must not give in
In cutting ties with the firm, literary festivals have fallen prey to the worst sort of playground bully.
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James Shapiro Q&A: “I’d like to live in 1600s London – just for a week”
The American academic on finding fulfilment in Shakespeare, structuralism and dry-stone walls.
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The Clarksonification of the countryside
Also this week: AI enters the classroom, and the British obsession with gardening vs Brexit red tape.
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