Author and illustrator of relatable yet magical children’s books, including The Worst Witch and Whatever Next!The children’s author and illustrator Jill Murphy, who has died of cancer aged 72, was loved across generations for picture books that capture…
The Handmaid’s Tale: will the TV hit break its cycle of cruelty?
Season four of the drama based on Margaret Atwood’s novel has seen Elisabeth Moss’s June in near-constant peril. However, it seems her latent rage could be the thing that sets her freeI find myself wondering why I am still so invested in The Handmaid’s…
Will Isaac Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ Survive Its Transformation into a Streaming Series?
Apple TV+ has released a nearly three-minute long trailer for its upcoming series based on Isaac Asimov’s Foundation books.
Ars Technica calls the trailer “stunning.”
A mathematical genius predicts the imminent collapse of a galactic empire, and he …
On my radar: Paula Hawkins’s cultural highlights
The author of The Girl on the Train on discovering Alison Bechdel, identifying with Physical, and her favourite new crime novelBorn in Zimbabwe in 1972, author Paula Hawkins studied PPE at Oxford University before joining the Times as a business journa…
Alan Johnson: ‘John Betjeman was wrong about Slough’
The former health secretary and acclaimed memoirist on his rock’n’roll past, how the Litvinenko poisoning inspired his new thriller, and how he’d have handled CovidAlan Johnson grew up in working-class Notting Hill, London, in the 1950s, raised by his …
Dear Diary: how keeping a journal can bring you daily peace
Writing a diary is a great way to offload – and, if memory fails, it’s a wonderful window on the pastI still get funny looks from people when I mention that I keep a diary. Maybe the practice strikes them as shifty or weirdly old-fashioned. It’s true t…
Neuroscientist Anil Seth: ‘We risk not understanding the central mystery of life’
The professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience discusses his work to develop a scientific explanation for how the brain conjures consciousnessFor centuries, philosophers have theorised about the mind-body question, debating the relationship …
“Something Disturbing To Raise Your Spirits”
Leftovers by JD Hancock (cc by)GenjiandProust’s Increasingly Strange Stories for an Increasingly Strange Year is another faboo roundup of weird audio dramas, again with tons of info and links to each one … And for yet more weird and wonderful, PussKi…
‘I came close to death’: David Harewood on racism and psychosis
Thirty years ago, fresh out of drama school, the Homeland star found himself in the midst of a breakdown, ending up in a locked hospital ward. He recalls the years of racial abuse that had pulled him apartWaking up in a mental institution is a strange …
The new award from the Women’s prize should scrap its age limit
Literary prize culture favours young and marketable writers – and the new Futures scheme is simply adding to the problemLast week, the Women’s prize announced a new award in partnership with Good Housekeeping magazine. “Futures” will provide promotiona…