Nilanjana Roy | Financial Times

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Tuesday, 14 March, 2023

Biography and memoir
The persistence of the trauma memoir
Where should the lines be drawn in the encouragement, promotion and marketing of stories about the misery of others?
Friday, 24 February, 2023

Fiction
The case against rewriting Roald Dahl
Yes, sensibilities evolve — but outmoded or offensive beliefs can be flagged up in ways short of expunging them altogether
Friday, 3 February, 2023

Fiction
Don’t knock romance novels — they’re big business
The much-derided genre is not only a sure earner for the publishing industry — it also moves with the times
Monday, 16 January, 2023

Books
In praise of book clubs — and how to do them well
Spark debate, listen to everyone and don’t turn it into a party: top tips for running a happy book group
Wednesday, 4 January, 2023

Poetry
Why a Tamil classic makes a perfect start to 2023
A new translation does justice to the joyous treatment of love and desire in the ‘Tirukkural’
Thursday, 15 December, 2022

ReviewFiction
A Dangerous Business — Jane Smiley’s brothel-based sleuths
Two 1850s sex workers champion female empowerment by turning detective to solve the murders of young women
Friday, 2 December, 2022

Books
Wodehouse lightens the woes
Some of the most compelling novels I’ve read this year tackle demanding themes — but do so with refreshing humour
Tuesday, 15 November, 2022

Books
When algorithms lend authors a helping hand
A workshop on language-learning software has demonstrated its use as an aid — not a threat — to some human novelists
Tuesday, 1 November, 2022

Books
Children deserve better than this morass of poorly written books by celebrities
The majority of celeb offerings are clunkily told with generic themes — but they appeal to the adults who buy the books
Friday, 21 October, 2022

Fiction
The online tactics that help novels go viral
Use of platforms such as BookTok, Goodreads and Substack is expanding reach — and turning authors into entrepreneurs
Friday, 7 October, 2022

Books
The joy of short novels
The most enjoyable route out of a reading rut is to delve into the miniature universe of a slim book
Friday, 23 September, 2022

Books
Art Spiegelman and the abiding power of Maus
Three decades after his comic book about the Holocaust shook up the publishing world, the graphic novelist is to receive a lifetime achievement award
Friday, 9 September, 2022

Books
India seen through the eyes of its young women
By going up-close and small-scale, female writers have gathered stories that offer a far fuller picture of the state of the nation
Friday, 26 August, 2022

Books
Women are under attack but can take inspiration from a 50-year-old feminist call to arms
Considered subversive, ‘New Portuguese Letters’ by The Three Marias was banned and its authors imprisoned. The shock is, it has become as relevant today as it was in 1972
Wednesday, 10 August, 2022

Book awards
The glutted market for literary prizes
Big changes are afoot with many writing awards closing — but maybe we don’t need so many
Friday, 29 July, 2022

Books
How to regain the habit of deep reading
We are shaped by a lifetime of books read for pleasure, so what happens if we become skimmers?
Friday, 15 July, 2022

Books
The freedom and fellowship of writers in exile
Fleeing writers are often the canaries in a coal mine, one of the first signs of a troubled nation
Friday, 1 July, 2022

Books
Don’t dismiss the creative output of prolific writers
‘I have a weakness for such authors because they trust that inspiration is a bottomless well, and are fearless about putting their work out there’
Thursday, 9 June, 2022

Books
In praise of the ‘holiday read’
Summer books features have become a staple of publishing — though their origins lie far back in the 19th century
Friday, 3 June, 2022

The Elizabethan age
Elizabeth in India: the steel beneath the hats
When I saw Indira Gandhi and the Queen in conversation, I believed women would rule the world
Tuesday, 31 May, 2022

ReviewFiction
Tomb of Sand — border-defying winner of the International Booker
Geetanjali Shree’s first novel to be published in the UK is a tale of family and India’s partition, translated with flair by Daisy Rockwell
Tuesday, 17 May, 2022

ReviewPoetry
The Penguin Book of Indian Poets — a feast of literature
Jeet Thayil’s selection of poems written in English is a dazzling collection vast in ambition and scope
Friday, 6 May, 2022

Books
The female gaze and its empowering transformation of mythology
Agency replaces submissiveness when women are recast as protagonists, rather than victims or peripheral characters
Friday, 22 April, 2022

Fiction
The gift of Rabih Alameddine
The stories of this year’s PEN/Faulkner award-winner are both enchanting and full of political fury
Friday, 1 April, 2022

Books
Anne Frank’s potent words
More than 75 years since she wrote her diary, it remains as important as ever