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    guardian.co.uk A journey through Egyptian fiction starts with the 1919 revolution against the British and ends with the Arab springPalace Walk by Naguib MahfouzPalace Walk is the first novel in Mahfouz's sumptuous Cairo trilogy, a three-generation saga set in the early 20th century. The trilogy, regarded as his masterwork, runs from...

    10 hours ago by Pushpinder Khaneka

      paulocoelhoblog Ever since we are children, we are asked: do you love daddy? Do you love auntie? Do you love your teacher? Nobody asks: do you love yourself? And we end up spending a good deal of our life and energy trying to please others. But what about ourselves? Anthony Mello...

      14 hours ago by Paulo Coelho

        guardian.co.uk The Sandman author answers some questions we didn't have time for on Monday: is his work political, and where do his personal allegiances lie?At Monday's live appearance by Neil Gaiman, we tried to put as many of your questions to the author of The Sandman, American Gods and The Ocean...

        1 day ago by Paul Owen

          jwikert.typepad BusinessWeek is all hyped up about a new service they're offering print subscribers. It's called "expedited morning delivery." I first heard about it a couple of issues ago and didn't think much about it. Then when I went out to grab the morning paper late last week I found my...

          2 days ago by Joe Wikert

            guardian.co.uk Outside the established, metropolitan-style literary festivals, small cultural initiatives are the lifeblood of our countryI live and work in London, and have done for years. This makes me inescapably a member of the metropolitan literati, an abused minority. Still, if you're based in London, especially during this great recession, your...

            2 days ago by Robert McCrum

              guardian.co.uk According to Neil Gaiman, writers should be less mammalian. But can you build a literary career by casting your work into the wind?You might have noticed the Books site going a little strange last week, after we handed the keys to Neil Gaiman. But it wasn't his weird podcast, or...

              2 days ago by Richard Lea

                guardian.co.uk Live coverage as acclaimed graphic novel, fantasy and children's author Neil Gaiman talks to Guardian's Claire Armitstead tonight from 7pm BSTPaul Owen    

                2 days ago by Paul Owen

                  guardian.co.uk With its melodious free verse, this love poem's imagery extends beyond an individual woman to wider natureAmong the publications marking the centenary of RS Thomas's birth in 1913, especially interesting is an edition by Tony Brown and Jason Walford Davies of 138 rediscovered poems. Published recently by Bloodaxe, Uncollected Poems...

                  2 days ago by Carol Rumens

                    paulocoelhoblog The code of the desert Two men were crossing the desert when they saw a Bedouin’s tent and asked him for shelter. Even though he did not know them, he welcomed them in the way that the conduct of nomads dictates: a camel was killed and its meat served in...

                    2 days ago by Paulo Coelho

                      guardian.co.uk It wasn't quite a book, it wasn't quite a cartoon, it wasn't quite a game – but it was quite boringEarlier this week Winnie-the-Pooh was launched into the digital world. His publisher, Egmont Press, told us that Pooh is a "pioneer", an animal, who, in spite of his questionable intelligence, sits at the...

                      4 days ago by Sam Jordison

                        paulocoelhoblog Em 1996 realizei, junto com minha mulher Christina Oticica, um grande sonho. A criação do Instituto Paulo Coelho, uma instituição sem fins lucrativos, financiada exclusivamente por meuss direitos autorais Em seguida, veio aquela pergunta de sempre: caso o meu trabalho ainda seja lembrado no futuro, o que fazer com todo...

                        4 days ago by Paulo Coelho

                          guardian.co.uk George Saunders, Javier Marias and Irfan Orga are among the writers under review this weekThe latest collection of from George Saunders raises some interesting questions for swithering about the short story. How much does it matter if some of the stories are good and others aren't, he/she wonders: In this...

                          4 days ago by Claire Armitstead

                            omnivoracious Look, up on the screen! It’s a film. It’s a well-coifed hero. It’s Man of Steel! In his 75th anniversary (Great Scott!), Superman returns to the movies via producer Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy), director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, and more), writer David S. Goyer...

                            5 days ago by Alex Carr

                              guardian.co.uk Neil Gaiman has given us the opening line of a new story – now it's up to us to finish it. Add your contribution and come back to see which ideas are the author's favouritesNeil GaimanGuardian readersHannah Freeman    

                              5 days ago by Neil Gaiman, Guardian readers, Hannah Freeman

                                guardian.co.uk I'm in charge of the Guardian Books site for one day only – the power's already going to my headHullo world.Even as I write this the power is starting to go to my head. I get to edit the Guardian Books site for a day. This is a position of...

                                5 days ago by Neil Gaiman

                                  paulocoelhoblog Follow your destiny, Water your plants, Love your roses. The rest is shadow Of unknown trees. Reality is always More or less Than what we want. Only we are always Equal to ourselves. It’s good to live alone, And noble and great Always to live simply. Leave pain on the...

                                  5 days ago by Paulo Coelho

                                    jwikert.typepad I spent the last six weeks taking on some consulting projects and exploring full-time job opportunities. I've had the luxury of being very selective on both, but especially on the latter. My primary goal has been to find a role where I can have a significant impact on the organization's...

                                    6 days ago by Joe Wikert

                                      guardian.co.uk Many people hail DH Lawrence's Sons and Lovers as a masterpiece, but how many have tried reading it …Geoff Dyer starts Out Of Sheer Rage with a description of the time he has spent not writing a study of DH Lawrence, and agonising about not writing a study of DH...

                                      6 days ago by Sam Jordison

                                        guardian.co.uk From a taboo-breaking biography of a Victorian patriarch to stories of scapegrace swindlers and closeted gay men, here are the richest and most rewarding books on fathersThe concept of father memoirs is a fascinating one. Confronting fathers directly and publicly is not, and never has been, easy: the patriarch should...

                                          paulocoelhoblog By Paulo Coelho The Rabbi Elimelekh had delivered a wonderful sermon and now he was returning to his native land. To honour him and to show their gratitude, the faithful decided to follow Elimelekh’s carriage out of the city. At one point, the Rabbi stopped the carriage and asked the...

                                          1 week ago by Paulo Coelho

                                            guardian.co.uk Nineteen Eighty-Four depicts a society in which liberty was impossible – so how should we respond to this new threat?The NSA Prism surveillance scandal has been good news for George Orwell, and in particular for his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which was originally published in 1949. Sales of the centennial...

                                            1 week ago by Stephen Moss

                                              jwikert.typepad Last May I decided to stop buying Kindle ebooks. I had already amassed a nice Kindle library but I felt it was time to move on, particularly since B&N was about to release the industry's first eInk device with built-in lighting. I bought their Nook with Glowlight on day one...

                                              1 week ago by Joe Wikert

                                                guardian.co.uk The multiple award-winning novelist and comic writer Neil Gaiman will be joining us for a live webchat on Friday 14 June 2013. Post your questions nowThe Books site will be a strange place on Friday 14 June 2013, as Neil Gaiman takes over for a day. He'll be taking some...

                                                  guardian.co.uk The space to talk about the books you are reading, and find out which ones we are reviewingGood day book people. As requested, TLS has now moved to a Monday slot. A great deal has happened in the books world since the last blog: The Women's prize for fiction was...

                                                  1 week ago by Guardian readers, Hannah Freeman

                                                    paulocoelhoblog EM PORTUGUES AQUI: Por que não dou entrevistas? _____________ Como ya deben haber notado, hace tiempo no doy entrevistas cuando publico un nuevo libro. Y esto no se debe, de ninguna manera, a una actitud arrogante o de irrespeto a los periodistas. Junto con las librerías y los lectores, ellos...

                                                    1 week ago by Paulo Coelho