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UK study reveals schools are banning LGBTQ+ books after complaints

A recent survey found that over half of UK school librarians have been asked to remove books, many of which are LGBTQ+ titles, with parents being the main source of these requests.

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Lettuce protest your book: Liz Truss gets pranked by another salad

“That’s not funny” said the former PM when a banner crashed the party at an event in Suffolk, where she was trying to promote her memoir. Here’s why the salad is Liz Truss’ worst enemy.

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Pope Francis: Literature is essential to counter 'violent fake news'

In a letter recently translated in eight languages, Pope Francis argues that literature should not be written off as "a minor art" due to its capacity to stimulate empathy and counter “the obsession with screens and with toxic, superficial and violent fake news.”

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Universal wins rights to Britney Spears' memoir for upcoming biopic

Universal Pictures has landed the rights to Britney Spears' memoir “The Woman in Me" and will develop a biopic of the pop star.

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Booker Prize longlist: Several European authors make the cut

The 2024 Booker Prize longlist marks two firsts: a Dutch writer and a Native American author are among the nominees.

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'My Brilliant Friend': Why it is the best book of the 21st century

The Neapolitan novel "My Brilliant Friend" by Elena Ferrante has topped several best-seller lists, even being described as the 'greatest' book of the 21st century. While the secrets of its success seem clear but the author's identity remains shrouded in mystery...

Culture news

Critically acclaimed Irish writer Edna O’Brien dies aged 93

O'Brien's debut novel “The Country Girls” made her Ireland’s most notorious exile since James Joyce.

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Rebecca Yarros among winners of the second annual BookTok awards

The second annual TikTok Book Awards UK and Irelend saw the social media platform’s users vote for their favourite authors, books, and bookshops over the past year.

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New UK national centre for writing is proposed in Newcastle

A charity has proposed a new writing centre in the north of England to train up a new generation of talent and redress the balance of publishing power from London.

Culture news

Salman Rushdie's alleged assailant denied author's notes before trial

Hadi Matar, the man charged with attacking celebrated author Salman Rushdie, will not be given access to the author's notes before trial, with the judge ruling the request too burdensome. Matar’s trial has be sheduled for October.

Culture news

World-renowned Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare dies aged 88

The Albanian literary giant was best known for works including "Broken April" and "The General of the Dead Army", chronicling life under communist dictator Enver Hoxha by way of allegorical stories.

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Boris Johnson memoir teased: Why is it already being mocked?

Publishing house HarperCollins is to “unleash” former UK PM Boris Johnson’s memoir later this year. And the promotional image looks like a teaser for a (particularly naff) horror film...

Culture news

Rare first edition Harry Potter book sells for more than €53,000

J.K. Rowling's book features some unique errors and was sold at auction alongside a copy of "Casino Royale", the first novel in the James Bond spy series, which features an inscription by author Ian Fleming.

Culture news

Naomi Klein and V. V. Ganeshananthan win Women's Prize literary awards

Klein thanked the prize for “not shying away from controversy” and continues to back calls for book festivals to stop taking money from companies with investments in fossil fuels or Israel’s defense sector.

Culture news

What is Ireland’s YES Festival?

Ireland’s first all-female festival takes place at various locations across the north west for the next four days. The YES Festival will feature over 40 events and more than 30 female artists from the nations involved in the ULYSSES European Odyssey project.

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Donald Trump asks in new book: Is Taylor Swift ‘legitimately liberal'?

In an upcoming book which hits shelves later this month, Trump comments on Taylor Swift's appearance and questions her political beliefs. This comes at a time when President Biden’s campaign is actively seeking an endorsement from Swift.

Culture news

Culture Re-View: Looking back on the cultural impact of '1984'

On this day 75 years ago George Orwell's dystopian classic‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ was published. Many aspects of the English writer and journalist's foreboding tale have passed into everyday language and the book's central message still bears chilling relevance.

Culture news

The 10 Mr. Men and Little Miss characters with the worst vibes

As two more characters are added to the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, we look at which characters deserve to be thrown into space.

Culture news

Inside an old Madrid bank vault full of literary treasures

In the depths of the Caryatid Building in Madrid is a vault containing some of the greatest treasures of Spanish literature.

Design

Spanish design duo reveal secrets of award-winning architecture

If the couple's mission was to make reading relevant again then this is a total triumph. A long queue of people regularly wait to get inside the Barcelona library, in scenes more reminiscent of a concert than a reading room in a quiet area of the city.