Fiction
How to become a cult writer
What does it take for an author to become idolised way beyond their literary merit?
Do we really need so many stage adaptations of novels?
There’s much that can go wrong when the drama of a book is transferred to the stage
Welcome returns for three Irish writers
Why is the publishing industry so obsessed with debuts?
Young Stalin’s unlikely London holiday
Stephen May’s new novel is a triumph of historical fiction
The Critic Books Podcast: The Golden Rule
In discussion with novelist Amanda Craig about her latest book
Writing outside the box
Elena Ferrante’s essay collection is an exploration of the delights and constraints of form
A return, a reissue, a brilliant new voice
The best, and the not-so-great, new fiction to read this month
On and off the road
Jack Kerouac’s reputation should rest on his whole oeuvre — not just his most famous novel
The Critic Books Podcast: Edgware Road
A debut story of family mystery and intrigue — set between London, Oxford, and Karachi
Will the real Elena Ferrante please sit down?
It is her words and voice, not her purported identity, that matter to her fans
The costs of assisted suicide
The trade-offs are real and extremely serious
An actor’s story is a late career marvel
Cleverness is a virtue in itself but is never sterile or without purpose
An orderly and civilised society
The biggest missing idea in British politics
Soporific Starmer
The Prime Minister appears to be making a virtue of his own dullness
Have we been barking up the wrong tree?
Mark Rowlands believes that humans have a lot to learn from dogs
Less than the sum of its parts
Eugene Onegin, Royal Opera
Just the tonic
Rediscover the forgotten treasure of Australia: fortified wines
The death of conservatism?
Individually and collectively, we must choose life
The grim quasi-religious doctrine of “unconscious bias training”
Baroness Royall’s commitment to the idea should concern Oxford students, academics and administrators
St. Vincent
The acclaim is excessive but the talent undeniable
The expensive problem with the minimum wage
Higher wages for some, perhaps, but joblessness for others
