For a long time, Maryam Madjidi, the Franco-Iranian writer, didn’t know how she should narrate her Persian stories. Last autumn, the 37-year-old author turned them into a novel. Marx et la poupéeabout her childhood in Iran, her exile in Paris and life between two cultures received the accolade
In the 19th century Russia gave us some of the world’s greatest novelists and short story writers, the outstanding Men of Letters primarily from the golden cities of Moscow and St Petersburg, writing about tormented aristocrats, glittering ballrooms and brave downtrodden peasants. Today our love o
I wake with a start. I’m sure I heard some strange noise. It’s pitch dark. I turn my head to the clock on the beside table. It’s just after 2am. There! Again! The noise. Someone is in the office! With a pounding heart I sneak upstairs. Light seeps through the bottom of the door. For a [&helli
When you read enthralling books, there is always this moment when the novel is no longer just a novel. Take for example reading on a train: you look up in amazement to notice that you just missed the stop where you should have alighted. Not because you forgot the correct stop. On the contrary, you
Tuesday 26 September will be European Day of Languages, a time to celebrate the linguistic diversity of our continent and advance our own language learning. The European Commission Representation in the UK is organising two public events to mark the day. On Saturday 23 September: a day of activities
A quiet departure, short description Kay has moved from the Netherlands to the United States for a job in a university town, fleeing her past – when she used to be Kathelijne – and her abusive husband. In her new country the atmosphere is nervous and fear seems to be the predominant emotion, jus
