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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.
A still from Crazy Rich Asians (2018). Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

6 good reads about privilege, from The Great Gatsby to Crazy Rich Asians

A Wall Street satire by Tom Wolfe. Edith Wharton’s jab at high society. Six books that offer a sense of escape yet are strangely relatable.

Art

Victor Hugo art exhibition in London shows writer’s love of drawing

Women and gender

Japanese novel about a serial killer hailed as feminist overseas

Singapore

Language Matters | Poetry ‘a luxury we cannot afford’? Singapore and world have moved on

Lee Kuan Yew’s maxim that poetry was an unaffordable luxury was of its time. These days it is widely appreciated, and not just in Singapore.

One of the poems displayed in trains in Singapore under the “Poems on the MRT” programme. Photo: Facebook/National Arts Council Singapore
Japan

Review | From Hiroshima to Fukushima in rambling, riveting Wildcat Dome

Now in English translation, Yuko Tsushima’s novel explores radiation, racism and personal conflict against a backdrop of nuclear disaster.

American cinema

Hunger Games prequel novel Sunrise On The Reaping called ‘heart-wrenching’

District 12 victor Haymitch Abernathy’s past is explored in ‘propulsive’ fifth book by Suzanne Collins set in fictional dystopia she created.

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Facebook

Who is Meta whistle-blower Sarah Wynn-Williams, whose new book is causing a stir?

Meta has successfully barred a former Facebook employee from promoting or further distributing copies of her tell-all memoir, Careless People – so who is the author, Sarah Wynn-Williams?

Whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams’ new book about Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta offers a damning portrayal of the all-powerful company. Photos: Sarah Wynn-Williams, Flatiron Books
Dating

Tired of superficial dating apps? Bookmark is an app for book lovers

The Bengaluru-based founders are connecting people based on shared literary interests, with features like a virtual bookshelf and witty prompts.

Investing

He made US$2.6 million and was only happy for 3 days. He explains why

Han Jung-soo achieved financial independence and retired in his 20s. But money ‘does not automatically lead to a happy ending’, he says.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Nicolle Wallace, who just slammed Trump’s ‘honouring’ of a 13-year-old

Wallace worked with George W. Bush and the John McCain-Sarah Palin presidential campaign, had a cameo in Robert De Niro’s Zero Day, and is married to Pulitzer-winning journalist Michael Schmidt.

MSNBC political analyst Nicolle Wallace, under fire for her comments about the teenage cancer survivor appointed an honorary Secret Service agent. Photo: @nicollewallace/Instagram
American cinema

At 16, she writes, she made a pass at Keanu Reeves. He turned her down

‘Even the way he’d rejected me was charming,’ writes Ione Skye in her memoir Say Everything about an encounter with the actor in his shower.

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Keanu Reeves and Ione Skye in River’s Edge (1986). Photo: Handout
Fame and celebrity

To Kill a Mockingbird author’s recently found short stories out soon

‘We can never know too much’ about ‘great American author’ Harper Lee, nephew says of coming book of essays, newly unearthed short fiction.

American cinema

‘My life is a mystery,’ says Anthony Hopkins as he spills all in memoir

In We Did OK, Kid, actor, 87, delves into his Welsh childhood, his battle with drinking and how he became sober, and ‘fear of getting hurt’.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | US conservatives ban books. In ancient China such acts didn’t end well

When Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang banned, then burned books it caused a loss of knowledge for all of humanity. Now book bans are back.

Book bans and burnings ordered in Qin dynasty China meant the loss of much knowledge for all eternity. Similar orders were seen in Nazi Germany. Now US conservatives are banning books. Photo: Getty Images
Fame and celebrity

Meet Anthony Bourdain’s former right-hand woman, Laurie Woolever

In Care and Feeding, released on March 13, Woolever describes working in New York’s restaurants in the 90s, being groped by Batali and dealing with Bourdain’s death as her marriage imploded.

Author Laurie Woolever and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. Photos: @lauriewoolever/Instagram, TNS
Meta Platforms

Ex-Facebook director’s ‘explosive’ memoir about Meta trio’s ‘excesses’

How Mark Zuckerberg tried to get Facebook into China and Meta’s ‘profoundly flawed’ leading trio described by ex-global public policy chief.

Fame and celebrity

Meet the ‘Blurred Lines’ video star EmRata and her high-achieving parents

A supermodel and New York Times bestselling author, Emily Ratajkowski played opposite Ben Affleck in 2014’s Gone Girl and is set to appear in Lena Dunham’s forthcoming Netflix series Too Much

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Wellness

Which foods help you sleep? Recipes for a good night’s rest in cookbook

Eat better to sleep better is the mantra of a researcher who studied which foods promote and hinder rest. Her findings led to a cookbook.

Eatin gnuts, seeds and whole grains helps promote sleep. Photo: Shutterstock
Sex and relationships

How an American experienced a ‘gay awakening’ before the Beijing Olympics

In the new memoir Beijing Bound: A Foreigner Discovers China, Glen Loveland recalls learning the nuances of the local LGBTQ scene.

Japan

‘I love eating’: novelist Asako Yuzuki on how she cooked up Butter

The author of acclaimed novel Butter, which skewers misogyny and fatphobia in Japanese culture, discusses her love of food, and the serial killer who inspired her book.

DeepSeek

The secret sauce of DeepSeek’s AI success: liberal arts graduates

DeepSeek’s AI magic lies in its unique blend of literary expertise and advanced algorithms, former employees and industry experts say.

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The logo of DeepSeek is seen during the Global Developer Conference in Shanghai in February. Photo: AFP
Chinese culture

Explainer | What Journey to the West reveals about early China-India exchanges

16th century novel tells the tale of Xuanzang, a monk who contributed to Chinese religion and medicine after his travels to Buddhist India.

A still from the Chinese TV series Journey to the West, which ran from 1986 to 2000. Wu Cheng’en’s 16th-century book still holds cultural importance in the modern era. Photo: CCTV
Hong Kong

Your perfect week: what to do in Hong Kong, March 2-8

Enjoy International Women’s Day drinks, celebrate all things French, indulge in an enchanting gastronomic adventure and be greenside at the LIV Golf.

Fame and celebrity

Who was Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa, who just died alongside him?

Despite the reclusive Hollywood actor and his wife living away from the spotlight in New Mexico, the pair have sweetly supported each other for years – here’s what you need to know about Betsy Arakawa.

Old Hong Kong

Then & Now | Has Hong Kong ever truly been home to any famous writers?

In his 1959 book The Road, Austin Coates’ protagonist is a successful writer in Hong Kong who gives an explosively well-received lecture – but the reality was different, and still is.

Writer Austin Coates appears on stage in 1977. Photo: SCMP Archives
Profile

‘We’re on the world’s longest vacation’: author tells mum’s immigrant story

Connie Wang, author of the memoir Oh My Mother!, on growing up in America’s Midwest, telling her mum’s story, and working at Refinery29.

Connie Wang talks about being one of many Connies, finding style stories around the world, and her mother’s sense of adventure. Photo: Chris Buck
United States

‘Da King of da Monsters’ Godzilla blows into Chicago in new comic series

The popular Japanese monster is attacking American cities in a new comic-book series, and the Windy City is the rampaging kaiju’s first stop.

History

Unveiling the stories of early Japanese residents in Hong Kong Cemetery

Meiji-era prostitutes, whose names are etched in stone, find a voice in a new book by Georgina Challen and Yoshiko Nakano.

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