Alexander McCall Smith
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The musician on finding consolation at her local churchyard, the brilliance of Stewart Lee, and why she’s currently drinking Breaky Bottom wine
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From gripping fiction to history, brilliant poetry to biography, our guest contributors offer their recommendations for the beach and elsewhere
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agirlbee: ‘I liked this book more than the twinkling stars’
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If you’re a Marmite-lover, you’ll be gagging to try this favourite of the Scottish novelist (cheese optional)
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Alexander McCall Smith refuses to include phones in his books. He couldn’t be more wrong about the perceived threat of technology to fiction
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Salman Rushdie, Colm Tóibín and Elif Shafak among writers pledging financial help for Pen International ‘writers circle’
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Authors, critics and philosophers tell us which books they will be reading on the beach
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Writers Alexander McCall Smith, Irvine Welsh, Caitlin Moran and Nina Stibbe among the six shortlisted for the 2015 award
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A tiny library opened in 1680 in the Perthshire countryside has inspired the devotion of the Scottish writer
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Alexander McCall Smith fails to redraw Austen’s matchmaking heroine for the modern world, writes Viv Groskop
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Butterfly Rainbow: 'Ms. Ramotswe encounters lots of different cases in the book. Probably the funniest one is 'The Boyfriend' case'
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The Baileys prize-winner in quotes, beautiful festival portraits, Alasdair Gray and advice from agony aunt Irma Kurtz are among the highlights of the sixth day of literary action
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Writer of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency reveals details of Blunt, his libretto on the Cambridge Spies
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With a few star exceptions, London publishers are wary of writing from Scotland. But good storytelling transcends nationality
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To raise money for Great Ormond Street hospital – the readers' quarterly Slightly Foxed asked writers including Carol Ann Duffy and Kazuo Ishiguro to draw a fox. Here are some of the wily creatures they came up with …
Gallery
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Lady Abigail: 'I like this book because although it is a fiction book it actually tells you facts too'
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Author of No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series joins Joanna Trollope, Val McDermid and Curtis Sittenfeld on project to rework Austen's oeuvre for a modern audience
The week in radio: Neil Gaiman’s Chivalry; Christmas Compass; The Nutcracker and more