English Fiction
Booker Prize charity launches new prize worth 50K pounds for children
The charity behind one of the world's most significant literary prizes on Friday announced a new 50,000-pounds Children's Booker Prize for fiction, to be selected by a combined panel of child and adult judges. The Booker Prize Foundation, behind the prestigious annual prize for fiction also worth 50,000 pounds, said the first edition of the children's award will open for nominations in 2026 to be awarded annually from 2027. It will celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years old, written in or translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The Children's Booker Prize is the most ambitious endeavour we've embarked on in 20 years and we hope its impact will resonate for decades to come, Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation. It aims to be several things at once: an award that will champion future classics written for children; a social intervention designed to inspire more young people to read; and a seed from which
 "Booker Prize charity launches new prize worth 50K pounds for children")
Much harder for serious writers to survive now: Irish author Paul Lynch
My writing is designed to reflect human experience in all its richness and complexity, says Lynch
 "Much harder for serious writers to survive now: Irish author Paul Lynch")
Rediscovering Márquez
As India stands at the threshold of an election, a Márquez comment assumes unusual significance
 "Rediscovering Márquez")
Seven Indian-origin authors feature in NYT's 100 Notable Books of 2023 list
The list of 100 notable books of 2023 includes seven books written by Indian-origin writers, including Salman Rushdie and Pico Iyer
 "Seven Indian-origin authors feature in NYT's 100 Notable Books of 2023 list")
The 'other' Gitas
The Bhagavad Gita is not the only Gita in the Mahabharata. Bibek Debroy's Sacred Songs delves into the rich tapestry of 25 of them, offering translations, insights and profound philosophical themes
 "The 'other' Gitas")
Whatever happened to light fiction?
O'Hara could type off a short story the way assistant editors used to type off editorials. Enjoyable writing. Making a simple point. And above all, short - and so well written
 "Whatever happened to light fiction?")
John le Carre: The maestro has left the field
If giving pleasure to hundreds of millions can be a yardstick for a worthwhile life, le Carre measured up perfectly
 "John le Carre: The maestro has left the field")
John Le Carre, best-selling author of cold war thrillers, dies at 89
Le Carre upended that notion with books that portrayed British intelligence operations as cesspools of ambiguity in which right and wrong are too close to call
 "John Le Carre, best-selling author of cold war thrillers, dies at 89")
'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' author John le Carre dies of pneumonia at 89
Born David Cornwall, le Carre was born in England in 1931, and first worked in foreign Intelligence for the British Army while studying foreign languages abroad
 "'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' author John le Carre dies of pneumonia at 89")
The avatar benders
Avatar's malleability of spirit and usage is quite remarkable, given its divine connections and usage within the Indian religious and mythological framework
The adventures of Wyndham and Surrender-not
A few years ago, most pleasingly as it has turned out, have come the historical crime novels situated in India
As reality becomes surreal...
The fear is not only about the virus but also how humans respond to the challenge
Female TV comics brandish fantastic weapons: bravery, wit, self-deprecation
McEnany and Bamford, slowed by bad periods, have earned their big moments
 "Female TV comics brandish fantastic weapons: bravery, wit, self-deprecation")
The short and the long of it
How many stories should make up a collection?
 "The short and the long of it")
Small-town fiction in South India: We are not in Malgudi anymore
Pranab Bardhan selects three books to explain how the depiction in fiction today of life in small town India is far away from the ordered world of Malgudi
The cat who solved mysteries
I think people like Mrs Braun's books because they instinctively recognise something that is done well. The other is a much subtler one
