The long read: Andrew Wylie is agent to an extraordinary number of the planet’s biggest authors. His knack for making highbrow writers very rich helped to define a literary era – but is his reign now coming to an end?

This new collection of 70s journalism exposes a sexist and wrongheaded essayist with an unwarranted reputation

From Hilary Mantel to Irenosen Okojie, contemporary writers are rewriting the story of illness and the female body

It’s always fun to read about the dozen exceptional women this book collects together but does each writer’s distinctive wit and thought get lost?

Dean’s group biography of female writers who dared speak their mind is a great and worthy project

Marriage, loss and meeting Thomas Mann … these stories are rich in autobiographical insights, but Sontag lacks the craft to carry them off

The New York Times writer is stepping down from her role, leaving behind a remarkable career characterized by razor-sharp reviews and intra-literary rows

Nicholas Lezard’s paperback of the week: sensitive and faithful, this book charts the last hours of Susan Sontag, Sigmund Freud, John Updike, Dylan Thomas, Maurice Sendak and James Salter