This prolific novelist is little known to English-language readers. A new series of translations will introduce them to his sinister work

Less sentimental than “Inspector Montalbano”, but just as flavoursome, the legal thrillers of Gianrico Carofiglio – a former gang-busting lawyer – have sold more than five million copies

Why the story of Don Quixote has such a hold on our cultural imagination

It shows them to be more original and less earnest than their male counterparts

An exhibition of Shakespeare-related documents could have used technology differently

He was a hacker, entrepreneur and idealist who killed himself aged 26. An important new book puts his story in context

Anthony Gardner recalls his favourite works by the writer he considers more portraitist than propagandist

Why the festive season is the best time for a murder mystery

From the laureate of family life to a literary shepherd. Plus, the preoccupations of 50-somethings

A knitter with a knack for words