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Books and literature

Books and literature
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Books and literature. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
American author Lisa See. Her Chinese great-grandfather, Fong See, settled in Los Angeles in 1897 around 26 years after the events of the Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871, in which roughly 500 white and Latino Angelenos attacked the city’s Chinese residents. Photo: Patricia Williams
Chinese culture

‘Night of Horrors’: LA’s Chinese massacre of 1871 brought to fore in new book

Lisa See’s novel Daughters of the Sun and Moon revisits the terrible events that saw around 500 people attack the city’s Chinese residents.

Fashion

How to style like … 4 famous authors with distinctive personal styles

Fame and celebrity

6 famous Eton College alums, from Prince Harry to Tom Hiddleston

Fifa World Cup

Photo book This is Football celebrates the game as the Fifa World Cup kicks off

As the biggest tournament in world football kicks off, this lavish book looks back at seminal moments involving Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pelé and more.

Pelé in action for Brazil against Bulgaria during a Fifa World Cup 1966 match in Liverpool, England. Photo: Rolls Press/Popperfoto via Getty Images
Food and Drinks

The magic of mushrooms, from foraging to fine dining

Taschen’s coffee-table book The Gourmand’s Mushroom looks at how fungi are portrayed in art, literature and music, and explores the health benefits of various species.

Travel news and advice

5 hot places and happenings to check out this summer

Explore Versace at a Paris museum, view Arthur Elgort’s photos in Los Angeles, shop at Selfridges, relax at Sant Roch sauna, and peruse The Mark Hotel’s new book.

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Obituaries

‘Persepolis’ author Marjane Satrapi dies ‘of sadness’ aged 56

The renowned graphic novel and film adaptation recount her early life and struggles in the shadow of the 1979 Iranian revolution.

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Iranian-born French graphic novelist, illustrator and film director Marjane Satrapi poses for photographs during International Women’s Day celebrations in Saint Ouen, near Paris, in March 2023. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong

Hong Kong author Kit Fan on ‘reverse migration’, identity and his new novel

The UK-based writer, whose Goodbye Chinatown follows a food-centric family between Hong Kong and London, talks about how places change people.

Architecture and design

How buildings and cities shape our lives, from ancient Rome to Hong Kong today

Architectural scholar Stefan Al compresses 2 million years of human habitation into 258 pages in his new book, Dwelling on Earth.

Chinese culture

She rejected her Chinese heritage as a child. Now, she writes about it

Scottish-born Eliza Chan, who once dropped out of medical school, is a fantasy writer who marries Eastern myths with Western folklore.

Eliza Chan speaking at the Manchester Literature Festival in 2025. The writer, who grew up in Scotland, went from rejecting her Chinese heritage to embracing it. Photo: Chris Payne
Space

How should we greet aliens? Neil deGrasse Tyson has the answer

In his new book, Take Me to Your Leader, Neil deGrasse Tyson examines what we can anticipate from first contact and how to react.

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Stephen Colbert appear on the CBS series The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on April 21, 2026. DeGrasse Tyson’s new book, Take Me To Your Leader, was released in May. Photo: CBS via Getty Images
TV shows and streaming video

Meet Belmont Cameli, who plays Garrett Graham in Amazon Prime Video’s Off Campus

In the wake of the smash hit Heated Rivalry, Amazon Prime Video’s latest series is creating buzz – so just who is the show’s heartthrob?

European cinema

Who was Marguerite Duras? Decoding the French cinema radical’s dual identity

Born in French Indochina in 1914, Duras was a visionary who treated the silver screen as a canvas for her haunting psychological experiments.

Music

‘This is insane!’ Korean-American rapper Dumbfoundead on family, music and Beef

A writer on Beef season two, battle rapper Dumbfoundead has taken his underground rap mentality with him from the gutter to the stars.

Rapper Jonnie Park, aka Dumbfoundead, explores his journey from Korean-American immigrant to multi-album artist and television show writer. Photo: TNS
TV shows and streaming video

‘Sex is a language in this show’: Heated Rivalry’s Rachel Reid and Jacob Tierney

Author Rachel Reid and director Jacob Tierney talk about writing sex scenes, realising they had something big, and upcoming sequels.

Heated Rivalry director-screenwriter Jacob Tierney and Rachel Reid, whose books are the basis of the series, are pictured in New York on April 18, 2026. The pair talk about the success of the HBO Max show based on Reid’s Game Changers book series, the joy of writing sex scenes and sequels in the works. Photo: Invision/AP
Hong Kong

Poison books: Hong Kong joins the search for Victorian-era arsenic-laced tomes

Victorian-era books may contain arsenic in their bindings. One Hong Kong University book conservator went on the hunt for such toxic volumes.

Chinese culture

As I see it | How ancient Chinese philosophers make sense of modern headaches

Scholar Daniel A. Bell has written an entertaining new book, exposing a new generation to ancient Chinese wisdom on the issues of our day.

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Architecture and design

How the Beckhams and Ellen DeGeneres are inspiring the cottagecore trend

Brands like LoveShackFancy and Summerill & Bishop are embracing the aesthetic, while even Meghan Markle has her own line of orchard-inspired products.

Cottagecore’s appeal lies in its promise of escape: a quieter life, closer to nature. Photo: Handout
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

What happened when Ann Hui adapted Eileen Chang’s classic stories?

Director Ann Hui has adapted three of Eileen Chang’s stories for the big screen. We look at two: Love in a Fallen City and Eighteen Springs.

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Chinese culture

As I see it | How to win friends and influence people in ancient China

Although the ancient text Guiguzi may not be widely read, its contents remain a prescient guide for job interviews, marketing and even diplomacy.

Fame and celebrity

Meet RoseMarie Terenzio, close friend of JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette

As the obsession over FX’s Love Story continues, some are turning to Terenzio’s books – JFK Jr and Fairy Tale Interrupted – for a more accurate account of ‘America’s prince’ and his wife.

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RoseMarie Terenzio, who wrote JFK Jr: An Intimate Oral Biography with Liz McNeil (right), pictured with JFK Jr in New York (left). Photos: @rmterenzio, @lizmcneil6/Instagram
Luxury brands

A new monograph celebrates the storied legacy of shoemaker Roger Vivier

The book takes you inside the world of the brand, and its launch coincided with the opening of Maison Vivier, a restored hotel particulier in Paris.

Rizzoli has published the monograph Roger Vivier: Heritage and Imagination. Photo: Handout
The Netherlands

Lost remains of French musketeer d’Artagnan may have been found in Dutch church

DNA testing is under way to verify ⁠the skeleton. D’Artagnan, fictionalised in Alexandre ⁠Dumas’ novel The ⁠Three Musketeers, died in 1673.

Fame and celebrity

Who was Lauren Bessette, Carolyn Bessette’s sister who died with her?

Ryan Murphy’s Love Story charts the whirlwind romance between Carolyn and JFK Jr – and new episodes feature Lauren Bessette, played by Sydney Lemmon.

Locals' Guide

Insider’s guide to Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Derelict houses reborn as hip cafes and a showcase for local fashion talent are some of the draws in Johor’s capital, actress Debbie Goh reveals.

Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Photo: Shutterstock
Food and Drinks

The ‘soju artist’ teaching the world to drink soju with an English guide

‘Soju artist’ Kim Wan-jun has published the English translation of his book on the drink’s history, etiquettes and social rituals.

Kim Wan-jun is the author of How to Drink Soju: A Guide to K-Drinking Culture & Games, a 300-page book now translated into English. Photo: Instagram/funnyjun_
China society

As I see it | Rescuing a key Confucian text from centuries of ignominy

The release of an authoritative translation of Kongzi Jia Yu finally places a once-suspected forgery among the traditional canon.

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Art

They were both couriers. One wrote a bestselling book, the other made a film

I Deliver Parcels in Beijing author Hu Anyan and videographer Kong Yiu-wing talk about making art out of hard, blue-collar labour.

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