Secrets, lies and a child: William Boyd on the truth behind Chekhov’s marriage
In 1902, as he pondered The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekhov had another question on his mind: who was the father of his wife’s unborn child?On 25 May 1901, Anton Chekhov, aged 41, married the actor Olga...
View ArticleLove Is Blind by William Boyd review – a rapturous return to form
This audaciously unpredictable tale of passion and pianos in 1880s France and Russia is worthy of adulationIn his latest novel, Love Is Blind– his 15th – William Boyd has pulled off an audaciously...
View ArticleLove Is Blind by William Boyd review – alchemy of fact and fiction
A piano tuner’s dangerous affair takes on greater resonance in this perfectly pitched performanceWilliam Boyd’s layered and intricate novel begins close to its end point, with a brief prologue in the...
View ArticleThe whole story: William Boyd on why we love novels that span a lifetime
From Jude the Obscure to Wolf Hall - and his own New Confessions – the author reveals the challenges and rewards of writing books that take on an entire existence‘The cradle rocks above an abyss, and...
View ArticleThe Argument review – no winners emerge from William Boyd's couple at war
Theatre Royal, BathA whole set of relationships unravel in a shrewdly observant play showing the ripple effect of marital hostilitiesThis is only the second play by the admired novelist William Boyd...
View ArticleTop 10 books about fake news
Mendacious propaganda has a long history, in fiction from George Orwell to Philip Roth – and real-life reports by authors including Roald DahlWe all lie. But some of us are better at it than others....
View ArticleLabour antisemitism row: public figures say they cannot vote for party under...
John Le Carré and Joanna Lumley among signatories to letter condemning party’s stanceLetter: Antisemitism concerns mean we cannot vote LabourThe authors John Le Carré and William Boyd are among a...
View Article1968: the year that set the world on fire | William Boyd
Struggles for black justice, clashes between police and protestors, a Republican president running on a law and order ticket... a look at an extraordinary year that echoes in 2020In the summer of 1968...
View ArticleTrio by William Boyd review – lights, camera, chaos
The secret lives of three characters on a 1960s film set make for the novelist’s funniest book in yearsWH Auden said of TS Eliot that three different figures coexisted within him: a conscientious...
View ArticleTrio by William Boyd review – superbly wry and wise
Set on a Brighton film set in 1968, this showbiz story is intricate and funny – but should William Boyd be taking more risks? Trio is William Boyd’s 16th novel – and that’s before we get on to the...
View ArticleIn brief: The Nolan Variations; Paris By Starlight; Nat Tate – review
Tom Shone’s fascinating study of film director Christopher Nolan; a delightful adventure from Robert Dinsdale; and the story of William Boyd’s celebrated art world hoaxFaber, £30, pp381Continue reading...
View ArticleThe reputation game: how authors try to control their image from beyond the...
The row over a new biography of Philip Roth has exposed the way agents and estates restrict access and manage archives to maintain a writer’s posthumous good nameWriters and critics are raising...
View ArticleThis month’s best paperbacks: Susanna Clarke, Claudia Rankine, a biography of...
Not sure what to read this month? Here are some fantastic new paperbacks, including a study of why we shake hands, a new William Boyd and James Rebanks’s illuminating thoughts on farmingContinue...
View Article‘The twists and turns are riveting’: Stephen King, Paula Hawkins and others...
The master of espionage wrote 26 novels – top authors share the books they love the most• An exclusive extract from his new novel• Fintan O’Toole on the last twist in John le Carré’s taleThe Little...
View ArticleWhat we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they’ve enjoyed in February
David Baddiel, Houman Barekat and Guardian readers Rosa Jones and Elizabeth Best discuss the titles they’ve read over the last month. Join the conversation in the commentsIn this series we ask authors,...
View ArticleSeven big-hitter books for autumn 2022, from Maggie O’Farrell to Cormac McCarthy
It’s going to be a vintage autumn for fiction, with new novels from some of our finest writers. Here’s our essential guideRemind me…Born in Northern Ireland and now living in Edinburgh, O’Farrell...
View ArticleWilliam Boyd: ‘The books world is much tougher now’
The author on his latest ‘whole-life’ novel, the brutal realities of modern publishing and the inspirational influence of Catch-22William Boyd, 70, is the author of 26 books, including Any Human Heart...
View ArticleOriginal Observer photography
From fishing with Kerridge to Theroux in Cape Cod – the best original photographs from the Observer commissioned in September 2022Continue reading...
View ArticleThe Romantic by William Boyd review – a fine ‘whole life’ novel
Boyd tracks the adventures of a 19th-century traveller in a hugely satisfying cradle-to-grave narrativeThe protagonist of William Boyd’s new novel claims he is “not a gregarious traveller”. But like...
View ArticleThe Romantic by William Boyd review – a swashbuckling adventure
Boyd’s absorbing ‘whole-life’ novel transports its 19th-century hero around the globe for encounters with real-life figures and endless incidentAt the beginning of The Romantic, William Boyd asks:...
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