Latest Stories
-
Rowling under fire over Native American magic
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has been denounced for ‘cultural appropriation’ in a new series of stories. So what exactly is this misdeed? Is it new? And is JK Rowling...
-
Tributes paid to ‘Queen of Teen’ Louise Rennison
The author Louise Rennison has died. Fans of her young adult novels say she ‘taught a generation of women to find the funny side of life’. Is laughter the most important lesson we can learn?
-
World Book Day sparks debate about ‘great’ works
This week marks World Book Day, a celebration of books and reading in over 100 countries. Can it be true that all the great books in the world were written before 1832?
-
Wow! Facebook introduces five emoji reactions
After years of promises, Facebook has finally updated its status reactions with five emoji-inspired buttons. Are we losing our ability to communicate effectively?
-
A ‘New Day’ dawns as the Independent falls
Last week the opinionated Independent announced the closure of its print edition. Now, a new ‘politically neutral’ newspaper is entering the fray....
-
War and Peace: ‘greatest drama of the decade’
After six lavish episodes, the BBC’s War and Peace is already being called the best TV show of the year — perhaps even the last ten years. But can...
-
Dictionary’s ‘sexist’ examples prompt row
Rabid feminists, nagging wives: an anthropologist has accused the Oxford English Dictionary of publishing misogynistic examples. Is he right? How can a dictionary be sexist, anyway?
-
New Holocaust memoir storms bestseller charts
On April 13 1944, accompanied by her Polish-born father, Marceline Loridan-Ivens was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau from Paris. She was 16 at the time. Now she has written him a love letter.
-
Bowie: chameleon, banker, videogamer, genius
Celebs, writers, world leaders, ordinary fans: the world has come together to mourn David Bowie’s death. What made him so great? Was he a brilliant artist — or is the truth more complicated?
-
The app that helps women stop saying sorry
Thousands of women are making a New Year’s resolution to stop saying sorry at work — and a new app is here to help them. Why do women apologise more than men? And should they stop?
-
Rags to riches: the boy who scored 1009 runs
On Tuesday, a penniless schoolboy smashed a 117-year-old cricket record. His achievement revived the age-old tale of the humble hero who makes good. Why do such success stories fascinate us?
-
2016: the votes, a Bard and an Olympic summer
It is the Chinese Year of the Red Fire Monkey. Pope Francis has declared it a ‘year of mercy’. And the UN celebrates the ‘International Year of Pulses’. But how will we look back on 2016?
-
New Star Wars premieres as fans debate meaning
The British premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits London this evening. The series has become a global phenomenon — but is it any more than...
-
2015 in culture: Women narrow the gender gap
Adele, J-Law, the Turner Prize: 2015 was a bumper year for women in culture. Is it time we acknowledged that there’s no difference between male and female artists?
-
Biographer: ‘we need Dickens more than ever’
This Christmas, a new TV drama will bring together Charles Dickens’s most beloved characters. It’s about time, says his biographer. Can art really change people’s minds?