Dakota Johnson: making Fifty Shades of Grey was ‘psychotic’, ‘crazy’ and ‘always a battle’
Anastasia Steele actor describes constant disagreements on the set of the hit erotic thriller due to disagreements with Fifty Shades author EL James
September 2020
American classics among most ‘challenged’ books of the decade in US
Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird among works protesters have tried to get removed from schools and libraries
February 2020
British Book awards balance art and selling power to decide best writer in 30 years
Novelists rub shoulders with presidents, chefs, comedians and thriller megastars on longlist to define the title with the biggest impact on the book world
December 2019
Digested week
Fifty shades of dismay as grimmest campaign ever finally comes to an end
John Crace
Could EL James dominating the decade’s bestseller list be one reason Britain has fallen apart?
July 2019
Female desire is all the rage. But are the stories still too driven by men?
Stephanie Merritt
Uncovering the mystery of women’s sexuality has become the hot topic in books, but old attitudes linger
April 2019
EL James’s new romance whipped by critics, but still romps to No 1
EL James's The Mister – turns out books and sex can be this bad
January 2019
EL James returns with 'passionate new romance' The Mister
Fifty Shades of Grey author promises a Cinderella story for the 21st century
August 2018
From Star Trek to Fifty Shades: how fanfiction went mainstream
Since it began in the 1960s, fanfiction has been both loved and dismissed as the work of nerdy amateurs. Now, a new generation of authors is dissolving the distinction
March 2018
'Women are having different fantasies': romantic fiction in the age of Trump
In the wake of #MeToo and Time’s Up, how do authors write a good sex scene? How ‘bad’ should the bad boy be? Romance writers and editors reflect on how the genre is changing
February 2018
I see national treasure status being thrust on Fifty Shades
Barbara Ellen
Fifty Shades Freed review – limp S&M threequel swaps Grey for beige
January 2018
‘Porn for women’ searches are up, but female sexuality existed long before Fifty Shades
Ash Sarkar
Porn didn’t invent women’s desire or exploitation, but, looking back at history, it has a powerful role in shaping both, says writer and academic Ash Sarkar
December 2017
David Walliams's Bad Dad beats Jamie Oliver to Christmas No 1
Fifty Shades sequel tops bestseller lists but whips up little enthusiasm
May 2017
Top 10s
Top 10 unlikely romantic heroes in fiction
'Brexit boom' gives Britain record 134 billionaires, fuelling inequality fears
February 2017
Hit Makers: How Things Become Popular review – the secret of selling squillions
Derek Thompson unravels the mystery of Fifty Shades’ mega-sales
Box office analysis: UK
Lego Batman stacks up ahead of Fifty Shades Darker at UK box office
The erotic sequel is blocked out – just – by the family comedy, counting preview traffic, while La La Land and Lion each see an encouraging Bafta-winning boost
Fifty Shades Darker review – spares the rod and spoils the fun
The second instalment in the S&M romance franchise is pretty softcore, though the odd good gag remains
