If You Were a Bluebird
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Indelicacy
Amina Cain
‘Every morning and night I walked through that city, to and from the museum.’
From Amina Cain’s new novel.
The Third Rainbow Girl
Emma Copley Eisenberg
‘I felt ruined by my time in Pocahontas County – no other place would ever be so good.’
An excerpt from Emma Copley Eisenberg’s The Third Rainbow Girl.
Late Arrival
Clemens Meyer
Two women working shifts in a train station make a connection in this short story translated from the German by Katy Derbyshire.
The Shop
Anthony Veasna So
‘I am not saying you cannot be gay. How hard is it to be normal and gay?’
The Normal Life
Dulce Maria Cardoso
‘Blood had started to come out from within, thick and dark blood that forced me to use sanitary pads every month.’
Low
Jeet Thayil
‘Quitting drugs – what an idea. How final and unaccommodating. Like being left without faith or protection in a pagan world.’ An extract from Jeet Thayil’s Low.
No Justice, No Peace
Chris Knapp
Chris Knapp on the systemic racism and violence of the French police, and the grassroots organisations that are campaigning for change.
Five Images from the Life of Georg Trakl
Mathias Énard
‘We think we see Georg Trakl in this last photograph but we do not see him.’
Goat-Herd Errant: Jim Corbett and the American borderlands
William Atkins
‘The book is a manifesto for the revival of pastoral nomadism – leading goats from pasture to pasture and surviving on their milk and wild plants.’ William Atkins on Jim Corbett’s Goatwalking.
Best Book of 1987: The Door
Hannah Williams
‘Szabó offers a veneration of the rituals of the everyday, for how pride in what we do, in how we give to others, can elevate us.’ Hannah Williams on The Door by Magda Szabó, the best book of 1987.
Best Book of Any Year: A Thousand and One Nights
Mazen Maarouf
Mazen Maarouf on why A Thousand and One Nights is the best book of any year.
Best Book of 2013:
The Crocodiles
Noor Naga
Noor Naga on why The Crocodiles by Youssef Rakha is the best book of 2013.
Best Book of 1928: Quicksand
Lucy Ives
Lucy Ives argues that Nella Larsen – author of ‘terse, obsessively observed fiction’ – penned the best book of 1928.
Don’t Look at Me Like That
Diana Athill
‘When I was at school I used to think that everyone disliked me, and it wasn’t far from true.’
Best Book of 2014: H is for Hawk
Chigozie Obioma
Chigozie Obioma on Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk, the best book of 2014.
Best book of 2015: The Argonauts
Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Lucia Osborne-Crowley on why The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson is the best book of 2015.
Best Book of 1993: The Smell of Apples
Magogodi oaMphela Makhene
Magogodi oaMphela Makhene on Mark Behr’s The Smell of Apples.
Best Book of 1963: The Group
Julia Armfield
‘Cigarettes, lorgnons, eggs benedict, cocktails mixed with maple syrup, long spills down Lanvin suits.’ Julia Armfield on why Mary McCarthy’s The Group is the best book of 1963.
Best Book of 1962: The Pumpkin Eater
Nicole Flattery
Nicole Flattery on why Penelope Mortimer’s The Pumpkin Eater is the best book of 1962.
Best Book of 1952: The Palm-Wine Drinkard
Sandra Newman
Sandra Newman on why Amos Tutuola’s The Palm-Wine Drinkard is the best book of 1952.
Just As It Was
Lucy Scholes
‘Unnatural is as fitting a term as any to describe the life Athill went on to lead, in that the choices she makes continually push against the conventions of her upbringing, class and gender. ’
Best Book of 2001: Natural Goodness
Julian Baggini
Julian Baggini on why Philippa Foot’s Natural Goodness is the best book of 2001.
Best Book of 1937: Busman’s Honeymoon
Caroline Crampton
Caroline Crampton on why Busman’s Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers is the best book of 1937.
The Hypocrites
Mehdi Tavana Okasi
‘Inshallah, one day I will return your every kindness.’ What does it mean to be American in Mehdi Tavana Okasi’s new story.
Best Book of 2005: Everything Good Will Come
’Pemi Aguda
’Pemi Aguda on Sefi Atta’s Everything Good Will Come, the best book of 2005.
Best Book of 1944: Transit
Lauren Aimee Curtis
Lauren Aimee Curtis on why Transit by Anna Seghers is the best book of 1944.
In Broad Daylight
Johanna Ekström
Johanna Ekström on memory and assault. Translated from the Swedish by Rachel Willson-Broyles.
