The gay author shocked France with stories of working-class poverty and homophobia. He talks to Simon Kuper about the misogyny his mother endured and why escape is his defining theme
The Booker-winning ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ author paints a weird and funny relationship between an ‘angel’ and an egotistical oil tycoon
William Rankin’s ‘Radical Cartography’ makes a powerful case against mainstream mapmaking’s creation of an orderly, objective reality
Essential reads on the politics and history of the country’s Islamic regime since the revolution and fall of the Shah in 1979
The Irish author’s playful satire conjures up a canon of fictional novels by a fictional novelist, all to dizzying effect
Mark Smith’s impressive history surveys life in the Soviet Union, and its advances and failures from Khrushchev to Gorbachev
Witch trials and Welsh folk horror, a saga of wealth and poverty in Pakistan — plus a band on the run and a beguiling ‘final’ story from Booker-winner Julian Barnes
Kim Bowes’s history examines in thrilling detail the finances, food and working practices of ordinary Romans
From the Ozempic story to books on power, money and the new world order — plus fiction by Julian Barnes, Amitav Ghosh and others — here are some top titles to look out for in the new year
Nicolas Niarchos delivers a sobering exposé of the human abuses and environmental damage wrought by the demands of EVs and the energy transition
Ten years after the musician’s death, Alexander Larman charts the lows — and, finally, dazzling heights — of his later career
A sparky comic debut novel from ‘Alt-Lit’ writer Madeline Cash skewers the corrupting effects of capitalism and online life
Economic activity rises in most districts over past three months
From Piltdown Man to the Stanford prison experiment, many famous scientific discoveries have been exposed as hoaxes or distortions
The best business books selected by our judges
The FT and Standard Chartered want to encourage young authors to tackle emerging business themes
Bank to back Business Book of the Year and Bracken Prize for Young Authors for next three years
Novels require a kind of attention that the modern world is steadily eroding
Why Arctic land-grabs could lead to war; the nitty-gritty of everyday lives in ancient Rome; the highs and lows of David Bowie’s later music; the harms caused by our demand for ‘green’ batteries; Julian Barnes’s reflections on life and loss; biting commentary on humanity in novels by Rhett Davis and Madeline Cash; Suzi Feay’s pick of debut fiction; Nilanjana Roy on India’s railways — plus the best books to understand events in Venezuela
Kenneth R Rosen offers a timely warning of climate change and melting ice paving the way to military-led land-grabs for resources
The Let Them Theory has viral appeal, but readers are divided about whether it can be a blueprint for leadership
In a moving mix of fiction and non-fiction, the Booker winner examines the struggle to find happiness and face life’s losses
Rhett Davis’s novel set in a near-future Australia sends out a strong message about humanity’s need to change
A round-up of the most insightful reads to put the US capture of Nicolás Maduro in perspective
Accounts of train travel across the country convey what happens when promise meets reality
From a 22-year-old’s striking debut to fictional forays by acclaimed poets, first novels that conjure China, Spain, Italy, Wyoming and a royal castle
This recently rediscovered, bleakly comic tale of three no-hopers in interwar Germany was written by a Jewish refugee in the 1930s. It reads like a cautionary tale for our times
Cognitive blind spots are undermining our ability to see the world as it is, rather than as we would like it to be
Board games, ancient boxes and a walk-on part for A-Ha’s Morten Harket feature in a tale that adds comedy to the author’s dizzying speculations on reality
As bombs fell and famine took hold, Samir Mansour kept delivering books
French train driver turned author Mattia Filice ably steers a free-verse novel about his work that is both original and enjoyable
The world of romantic fiction is a strange one — that of political erotica even more so
Anthony Gottlieb’s rich portrait captures both the spiritual and systematic sides of the Austrian philosopher
A subtle and stimulating philosophical examination of scoring systems and what really matters
Like much of what goes on behind closed doors, it raises some controversial questions — from position to hygiene to title selection
The award-winning animator’s first full-length book depicts her gleefully irascible, chain-smoking relative with love and frustration
Juhea Kim offers a resonant, sometimes hopeful, addition to the field of climate fiction in short stories that take place from Seoul to California
