Booker Prize 2026: M John Harrison wins for The End of Everything
‘It’s a disaster story in which the disaster is the failure to comprehend,’ British author says of his post-apocalyptic novel
Elizabeth Strout
Author
I’ve read the Booker 2026 shortlist. Two novels are brilliant on living through the mess of the 2020s
Black Bag, by Luke Kennard, and The Things We Never Say, by Elizabeth Strout, hinge on characters who confront the ways in which their lives are at the mercy of others
Meg Mason: ‘It’s really warping, all these people who don’t know you, who feel like they do’
Meg Mason, the author of bestseller Sorrow and Bliss, returns with Sophie, Standing There, a meta novel about a lonely literary-festival worker’s parasocial relationship with a famous writer
Booker Prize 2026: Irish debutant features on longlist alongside Marlon James, Douglas Stuart and more
Djamel White’s gangland novel All Them Dogs is up against former winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart as well as Elizabeth Strout and nine others
Booker longlist speculation is foolish. But it’s also fun
New and overlooked authors are competing against several past winners and previously shortlisted writers. They can’t all make it
It’s hard to make new friends as you age - Gordon Snell showed me why it’s worth trying
On television, friendship is treated as the preserve of the young, something people sooner or later leave behind in favour of romantic relationships, writes Henrietta McKervey.
With Elvis Costello, Elizabeth Strout and surging audiences, Brendan O’Connor is riding high
Radio: RTÉ Radio 1 host shows his interview skills, while Pirate Predator recounts the horrific crimes of paedophile Eamon Cooke
The Things We Never Say: Elizabeth Strout taps into something very alive in the human psyche
Set just before the 2024 US presidential election, this work is Strout’s most political so far
Elizabeth Strout: ‘It’s a deeply sad time in the US’
The author returns with a new character, a despairing history teacher Artie Dam, in The Things We Never Say, overshadowed by Trump
The best fiction of 2026 to look forward to: Books from Louise Kennedy, Donal Ryan, Sebastian Barry and more
A comprehensive round-up of fiction from Irish and international authors due out this year
Best Friends by Andrew Meehan: Engaging, witty and charming septuagenarian love story
Refreshingly, the author presents the protagonists as proper human beings, not tattered cliches on sticks
Author Lisa Harding: ‘I have never been scared to look at the dark side of life’
The novelist on her latest book, Wildelings; her penchant for unlikeable characters; and how her acting background is a boon to her writing
Women’s Prize for Fiction 2025: Miranda July, Elizabeth Strout and four debuts make shortlist
The winner of the £30,000 award will be announced on June 12th, along with the winner of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction
Read this and weep: Books that made writers cry
John Boyne, Edel Coffey, Ferdia Lennon, Sarah Gilmartin and a dozen other authors and critics on books that had a profound emotional effect on them
French Braid: Enjoyable novel but not Anne Tyler’s finest
This engaging read on the knottiness of family ties is full of wisdom nonetheless
Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King: A rich and involving collection
Book review: Hope and hard-earned lessons from the author of Writers & Lovers
Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket: Everyday tragedies
Book review: Hilma Wolitzer’s memorable collection culminates with a pandemic story
Objects of Desire: A smart and memorable collection on chronicles of life
Book review: Sharp stories from Clare Sestanovich about young lives turning
A Shock: A provocative and clever novel filled with surprises
Book review: Keith Ridgway’s interconnecting stories focus on loss and survival
Early Morning Riser: A comfort blanket of a book
Book review: Katherine Heiny’s feelgood second novel is about love and community
The rise of the virtual book club
Writer Brian Leyden on how his book club has moved to Zoom to survive the lockdown
Sinead Moriarty: On My Culture Radar
Author on her Orla Walsh prints, Sinead Burke’s podcast, and why Netflix’s Money Heist is a runaway hit
Sean O’Rourke keeps Christmas spirit alive but adds to his naughty list
RTÉ host gets to the heart of the childcare crisis , as O’Shea welcomes all book-lovers
Fiona Glascott: On My Culture Radar
The Fantastic Beasts actor on London, Olive Kitteridge and Homecoming
Leading authors tell Man Booker to drop American writers
Top Irish writers part of Folio Academy which say prizes should be closed to US novelists
Bank Holiday Hurricane review: A memorable first collection
A Belfast writer’s striking debut collection of stories shows much potential
Histories review: Short, hypnotic insights from the heart of a hospital
A consultant oncologist's debut gives a detailed picture of medical life in interlinked stories
Man Booker prize: Paul Beatty wins with The Sellout
Author wins for satire on race in the US and becomes first American to win prize
Man Booker Prize: two-time winner Coetzee left off shortlist
Madeleine Thien now favourite with symphonic masterwork Do Not Say We Have Nothing
Man Booker shortlist: big books, big disappointments
Man Booker selection pales in comparison to international stablemate - this is where the titles of real quality can be found, lost in translation as it were
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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