Literature
The ring master
Bullfighting was a lifelong fascination for Francis Bacon and played an increasingly important role in his work, his high-risk approach matching that of the matador
Arthur Bryant’s floating doters
W. Sydney Robinson, the historian’s latest biographer, discovered that his subject was without scruple in matters of the heart
You can’t make it up
Lisa Hilton asks whether Twitter mobs should be able to police the imagination of novelists and playwrights
London, Burning: ‘A page-turning delight’
For his eighth novel, Anthony Quinn continues his noble tradition of producing a thumping good read
Murders for April
From the golden age of crime fiction to the modern day, Jeremy Black recommends seven books to see you through April
Why are great writers such awful people?
In the wake of renewed controversy over Philip Roth’s treatment of women, Nigel Jones asks whether there is a link between creative genius and sexual unorthodoxy
Sporting life
This biography on Sir Stanley Rous and sport in the twentieth century is scholarly, balanced and well-written, says Lincoln Allison
Which political diaries are worth taking seriously?
Professor Jeremy Black discusses with Graham Stewart the craft and value of the political diarist
Gloriously bad company
Do we really need another biography about Francis Bacon? The answer is emphatically yes, says Christopher Bray
Wilde encounters
The rambling and discursive nature of the writing lends Rupert Everett’s book an enjoyable appeal