The Czech writer didn’t only leave us The Unbearable Lightness of Being, he wrote a series of playful, philosophical books examining relationships, sex and mortality
From a novel sequence that dispenses with much of what we expect from fiction to fearlessly honest memoirs of motherhood and divorce, Cusk is a challenging writer. But also a genius
Thanks to Netflix’s moody adaptation, Ripley, there’s more awareness of Highsmith’s skills as an expert writer of guilt, ambivalence and moral dilemmas at odds with reality
The Nigerian author of Second Class Citizen wrote from real-life experience about the universal problems of poverty and oppression that could be the burdens of women everywhere
Born on 8 January 200 years ago, the Victorian writer is best known for his mystery novels The Woman in White and The Moonstone. But with more than 30 books to choose from, here are some good places to begin
The American novelist has created an oeuvre of medieval gross-fests, 60s psychological thrillers and hallucinatory evocations over five novels and one short story collection
The author and critic, who died last week aged 87, left behind a treasure trove of writings – sensuous, erudite, experimental and in love with literature. Here are some good places to begin
Having long been tipped as the next Nobel laureate, the Norwegian writer has this year been awarded the prize. For those new to the acclaimed playwright and novelist, here are some good ways in
For 50 years the Nobel laureate and double Booker prize winner has been dividing opinion with his novels on power, humanity, war, the death of ‘Jesus’ and dogs – many dogs
The Nobel prize-winning author’s anti-sentimental writings are frank meditations on love, family, loss, memory and writing, and are an essential read. Here are seven works to get stuck in
The acclaimed Japanese author’s deceptively simple writing combines fantasy and reality in stories of everything from missing cats to dystopian histories via fantasy thrillers and meditations on love. Then he told us about running
He catapulted to fame with depraved, funny novel The Wasp Factory in 1984, but the much-loved Scottish writer had a parallel career as an influential sci-fi writer
Bittersweet tales of a deluded butler, Arthurian fables and the view from AI – if you’re not familiar with the garlanded author’s work, here are some good entry points
A century after her death, Mansfield’s stories still feel adventurous and sharp, and Virginia Woolf’s great rival makes sure her modernism remains engaging
The great Victorian chronicler of inequality and poverty was also a tremendous – and prolific – storyteller. Here are some of the best ways in to his colossal legacy
