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From Aristotle to Sebald, literature has lessons for a culture that celebrates happiness above all else
The novelist talks about his new novel, life in the US, and his ‘other two countries’
Ellen Pao’s account of her failed discrimination lawsuit makes a strong case about sexism in technology
An absorbing homage to Henry James’s ‘Portrait of a Lady’
A non-fiction collection finds the writer acute on literature but straining to avoid the shadow cast by his own work
A study of how people of African origin made their way in 16th-century England
At a time of environmental uncertainty, can writers help us weather the weather?
The first English-language biography of France’s president focuses on his ascent rather than his ideas
A family memoir examines the devastation wrought by addiction
Shades of the brutal filming of ‘Apocalypse Now’ colour a crackpot jungle adventure
Self-image and reality collide in a witty tale of New York millennials
County Mayo’s dead return in an intoxicating experimental novel
The award-winning author’s fiction resonates with contemporary concerns
A vibrant retelling of a west African folktale about a lonely but wily Tortoise
An impressive picture book about an elderly widower recalls Raymond Briggs at his darkest
A lively biography of the German leader from a self-proclaimed French “fangirl”
‘What does it mean to be a writer? Permanent financial crisis with moments of serenity’
From ‘Smoothie’
A wry account of a married couple’s trip to Amsterdam reveals a subtle feel for the ordinary
A vivid family memoir that catalogues the injustices endured by India’s Dalits
Patti Smith’s reflections on writing give us insights into an intense creative process
London’s chronicler of forgotten ways finds its inhabitants resistant to his methods
A mysterious midlife crisis is at the heart of a novel about a man who flees his family
An overview of Marxist thought works as both introduction and contemporary critique
A surreal fable examines the dislocation of immigration and political exile
DCI Kate Burrows comes out of retirement to help hunt down a serial killer
A tale of a small New England town turned upside down by its new millionaire resident
An authoritative history of the ‘political famine’ that Stalin inflicted on agrarian Ukraine in the 1930s
A gripping novel of racial prejudice, radicalisation and cross-cultural love
The US novelist approaches swimming as fearlessly as she explores emotions in her books
The presidential candidate’s memoir of defeat is written with a zest that would have benefited her lacklustre campaign
Two debut authors among the six nominees for the £50,000 award
An account of Britain’s exit from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism tells a familiar story of economic failure
An optimistic analysis of the future potential of artificial intelligence
A biographer’s sparely told memoir reveals a literary life of tragedy and resilience
George Smiley returns in a novel that delivers an uncoded blast at Brexit Britain
Newcomers and natives can seem equally displaced in a fine history of postwar immigration to Britain
