Literature

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

W. Sydney Robinson, the historian’s latest biographer, discovered that his subject was without scruple in matters of the heart

Lisa Hilton asks whether Twitter mobs should be able to police the imagination of novelists and playwrights

For his eighth novel, Anthony Quinn continues his noble tradition of producing a thumping good read

From the golden age of crime fiction to the modern day, Jeremy Black recommends seven books to see you through April

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

This biography on Sir Stanley Rous and sport in the twentieth century is scholarly, balanced and well-written, says Lincoln Allison

Professor Jeremy Black discusses with Graham Stewart the craft and value of the political diarist

Do we really need another biography about Francis Bacon? The answer is emphatically yes, says Christopher Bray

The rambling and discursive nature of the writing lends Rupert Everett’s book an enjoyable appeal