The week in books
A weekly roundup of what's been happening in the literary world
Call for new writers of colour as entries open for 4thWrite short story prize
The Guardian and publisher 4th Estate’s annual award for unpublished writers of colour offers £1,000 to the winner, and publication on theguardian.com
The Women's prize at 25: co-founder Kate Mosse on why we still need it
The prize has become one of the largest annual celebrations of literary talent in the world, but the need to promote women’s voices remains undiminished
Coronavirus has left small publishers desperately fighting for survival
A survey of indie presses shows that 60% fear they could be out of business by the autumn, writes Galley Beggar Press cofounder Sam Jordison
'A dream team': how the Hay festival will look online
There will be no partying under the dark skies of Brecon but the programme will go on with 80 events
From Muriel Spark to Angela Carter: which women should get blue plaques?
English Heritage wants to boost the number of female recipients of its prestigious blue plaques. It could honour more scientists and ethnic-minority achievers, too
Why Killing Eve is keeping our love of TV adaptations alive
Based on Luke Jennings’ novella series, Killing Eve has delivered a body blow in the battle between TV adaptations and original drama
So Jonathan Franzen is ‘retiring’ – which author hasn’t said that?
Many writers, including Stephen King and Alice Munro, have announced ‘last novels’ before turning out many more
‘Knighthood? No thanks, Ma'am’: why royal recognition for writing is not always an honour
War Horse author Michael Morpurgo has accepted a knighthood, but many authors from Alan Bennett to JG Ballard have turned honours down. So what’s wrong with a pat on the back from the palace?
How to collect a Nobel prize for literature
Say something funny about Sweden, don’t overdo the humility … As the 2017 Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro undergoes his Nobel induction, we look back on speeches from winners of the past
Kingsley Amis was spied on – but he’s in the best literary company
MI5 kept tabs on Amis, who joins Byron, Wordsworth, Orwell and Iris Murdoch as having been suspected of espionage
Going for a gong: the week in literary prizes – roundup
We toast the winners of the Goldsmiths prize, the National Book awards, the Warwick prize for women in translation and the Stephen Spender for poetry
Gunpowder plots: how Guy Fawkes ignited an explosive literary legacy
Remember, remember … from Shakespeare to James Shapiro to the website that deals in political scandal, the name of Guy Fawkes is literary dynamite
A new chapter begins: Manchester named Unesco City of Literature
Thriving festivals, flourishing publishers and now Unesco status … Manchester’s literary scene only gets strongerr
Why the TS Eliot prize shortlist hails a return to the status quo
This year’s lineup may be deserving, but with just one collection by a BAME poet in an exceptionally strong year for poets of colour, it also seems naive
Male writers still dominate book reviews and critic jobs, Vida study finds
The annual Vida count of authors across the world suggests about two-thirds of those published, and the critics who review them, are men – but their intersectionality survey is less conclusive
Why Boris Johnson's 'singing birds' are just what the doctor ordered
‘We are a nest of singing birds,’ Johnson recently insisted to quash rumours of Brexit bust-ups. So why is the classicist foreign secretary now invoking the 18th-century writer Dr Johnson?
Surprised by the Booker shortlist? Don't judge the books, study the judges
As a former judge, I sometimes joke that the only year I correctly picked the Man Booker winner was when I was on the panel – it’s too unpredictable
Half a Booker dozen at the Edinburgh book festival
Sebastian Barry, Zadie Smith, Paul Auster and Ali Smith – it was smiles all round when organisers realised they had invited six of the Booker longlist
Ways of seeing John Berger
A new exhibition celebrates Berger’s vision through the drawings that were given to him. The room is filled with affection, writes photographer Eamonn McCabe
A new chapter in yoga: why the Society of Authors is reaching out (on one leg)
Joanne Harris, Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman … and a Welsh Cob horse are among those striking poses during the society’s yoga week to promote well-being
About 240 results for The week in books 
