The Latest Breaking News from Anne Enright

The Labour MP and party historian on why he worries for Keir Starmer, the decline of social democracy, and his love of Seamus Heaney

Three Irish authors – including Claire Kilroy and Megan Nolan – and Booker-shortlisted Brit Chetna Maroo sit among the 16 nominees, eight of them debut novels

Answer fiendish literary questions from Bernardine Evaristo, Nina Stibbe, Jonathan Coe and more. Plus, spot the 10 books hidden on our festive ice rink

We asked 20 of our regular contributors to nominate their favourite books of the year. Their choices were diverse, intriguing and sometimes surprising. Whether you’re looking for something relaxing or stimulating, educational or enchanting, this selection is a great way to plan your summer reading – or simply add to…

In her essay Mr Bennett and Mrs Brown, published in 1924, Virginia Woolf famously proposed that the novel’s primary function is the expression of character. She presented the maxim: “it is only if the characters are real that the novel has any chance of surviving.”

This week’s bookcase includes reviews of The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright and The Girl In The Eagle’s Talons by Karin Smirnoff.

A ferocious sendup of a self-satisfied Irish poet and a brilliantly honest portrait of the women he leaves behind

A dead poet’s daughter and granddaughter must come to terms with his troubling legacy in the Booker winner’s bravura new novel about language and connection

Martin Chilton reviews the biggest new books for August in our monthly column

Neil Jordan, Róisín Murphy, MC Lyte, Anne Enright and more share their memories of a uniquely talented, uncompromising artist, mother and ‘Celtic warrior’

He exploded into the tweedy world of literature, a young, pouting and outrageously brash crusader for prose. Our writer remembers her encounters with the novelist, whose smarts and chutzpah confounded his peers