fiction
Prizeman Who Still Glitters
At 84, Frederic Raphael writes with the freshness and vigour of a young man starting out
The Casanova Of LaSalle Street
A new short story by Joseph Epstein
A Master, But Not His Masterpiece
Mario Vargas Llosa’s latest novel is an entertaining tale of blackmail and family warfare — but is not up to the standard of his best
Fifty Shades Of Sorrow
A compelling novel which echoes Madame Bovary in its depiction of unsatisfying marriage
Culture Shocker
A stark warning about cultural relativism
Small-Town Page-Turner
A lovingly written portrait of life in 21st century Britain
The Writer
A new short story
A British Subject
A new short story.
Roman à Clef or Selfie?
Has the literary world misunderstood Hanif Kureishi’s latest novel?
Unhappy Families
Completion is a dazzling debut by a promising young novelist
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal