The Booker Prize organisers announced the shortlist for the 2024 edition on Tuesday at Somerset House’s Portico Rooms in London. The shortlist includes five women and one man, making it the highest number of females ever shortlisted in its 55-year history. Authors from five countries were shortlisted alongside the first Dutch writer and the first … Read more
Edna O’Brien, Ireland’s literary pride and outlaw who scandalized her native land with her debut novel, The Country Girls, before gaining international acclaim as a storyteller and iconoclast that found her welcomed everywhere from Dublin to the White House, has died. She was 93. O’Brien died Saturday after a long illness, according to a statement by … Read more
There was a time when people were shamed for reading smutty books, whether for the steaminess factor or the misconception that romance wasn’t real literature. But now, thanks to the surging popularity of books by authors like Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, readers are loudly and proudly embracing the genre — and even appear to be naming … Read more
Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has issued a directive to name a road in Riyadh after the late poet Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Prince Badr died on May 4 at the age of 75 in Paris after an illness. The honour was presented at the recommendation of Crown … Read more
Canadian author Margaret Atwood has received a high honour from France’s ministry of culture for her contributions to literature. Atwood was named a commander in the French Order of Arts and Letters, which rewards people who have made significant contributions to artistic or literary fields in France and the rest of the world. France’s ambassador … Read more
