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Tribute: Martin Amis and the importance of good sentences
What are the characteristics of a notable prose style, and why is it worthy of attention in the first place?
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Indians in America: Where it all began
Brinda Charry’s new novel recreates the life and times of a boy from the Coromandel Coast who lands in 17th century Virginia.
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Ending of movies, books, series: Do spoilers really spoil everything?
Spoiler alert: advance information about the endings of movies, TV shows and books may not be the end of the world.
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Can you love the art but hate the artist?
Two recent books discuss how to approach the artwork of those accused of abuse and bigotry.
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The meaning of nice, and why we should use this four-letter word more
An argument in favour of using the word “nice” – and also living up to it.
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Enter Ghost book review: Hamlet in Palestine
Isabella Hammad, one of Granta’s best young British novelists, explores questions of art and activism in her new novel, Enter Ghost.
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An Admirable Point book review: Mark the exclamations!
A new book takes an entertaining and enlightening look at the use and misuse of the exclamation mark over the years.
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5 Books on Mughal influence and intermingling
Plus, the Amar Chitra Katha titles on Babur, Akbar, and Shah Jahan, as well as tales from the Mughal court involving Birbal and Tansen, among others.
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How novels are like time machines
Recently, Lebanon lived through two time zones at once. For years, however, novels have slowed time down, speeded it up, and travelled across past, present, and future.
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Lessons on writing from Amitava Kumar, Mohammed Hanif, Tahmima Anam, and others
A new volume edited by Deepa Anappara and Taymour Soomro offers advice for writers of colour and those who read them.
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International Booker 2023 longlist | Perumal Murugan’s haunting tale of caste oppression
After Geetanjali Shree's 'Tomb of Sand' won the 2022 International Booker Prize, another Indian novel is in the running for the International Booker this year.
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Your Driver is Waiting book review: A debut novel influenced by Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver
Many films have been inspired by novels. Priya Guns’s Your Driver is Waiting is inspired by a film.
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How books on failure are basically books about success
And why both books about success and failure have inherent limitations, and very limited uses.
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Make it new: The challenge for authors in a ChatGPT world
The generative AI program may become a collaborative tool for novelists, but it is incapable of originality. That’s the opportunity authors can grasp.
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How to decide what to read next
The more the number of books published, the harder it seems to come across just the right one. How is a reader to choose?
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What readers and writers can learn from the techniques of classical and jazz pianists
In a typical jazz composition, the left hand strikes chords to create harmony and rhythm while the right hand picks out the melody. Using this as a metaphor, in fiction, the right hand would take care of the characters and plot while the left creates a thickening weave of allusion and counterpoint.
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Pico Iyer’s search for paradise
The writer’s new collection of essays describes visits to Iran, India, Japan and elsewhere to find competing visions of utopia.
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The enduring relevance of All Quiet on the Western Front
The Oscar and BAFTA nominations for the new adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel are reminders of its powerful message.
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The Written World and the Unwritten World review: More memos for a new millennium
A new collection of non-fiction by Italo Calvino offers many pleasures, touching upon folklore, fantasy, science, and the writing life.
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There’s no need to have great expectations of books
It isn’t necessary for every book to be a masterpiece, to shift perspectives, and to be raved about on social media.
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Age of Vice book review: A novel for Kalyug
Deepti Kapoor’s 'Age of Vice' is an ambitious if sprawling thriller that portrays unpleasant Indian realities with verve.
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Looking back at a literary year that never was
An imaginary report on a utopian 2022 in the world of books and reading.
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A graphic memoir of working in the oil sands of Alberta
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Why readers should read like writers
Being alert to the elements that go into writing a book makes the experience of reading even more pleasurable.
