The Observer debut novelist’s Wimmy Road Boyz is a poignant and funny look at multicultural British manhood

Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk

From slim novels to intimate memoirs, our critic picks the best new releases and paperbacks for summer

An artwork made from soil at London’s Barbican is an earthly wonder

Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk

The award-winning author on going to dark places for Uprising, her novel inspired by a real-life island of sex workers

Artistic director John Gilhooly talks about surviving against the odds, and his bold gen Z scheme

Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk

The Taiwan Travelogue author and translator explain why ‘you can’t sever literature from politics’

ICE, wildfires and flooding all feature on the Sudanese-American’s genre-bending album. Plus one to watch Kwn

A huge private collection of writing-related ephemera spanning more than 5,000 years is now on public display at the Museum of Writing

As the 79th annual Cannes film festival opens, our critic selects the best tracks to prepare for the movie extravaganza ahead

Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk

The author on publishing a novel on big oil in an age of climate crisis, being a Muslim in London, and writing for Emmerdale

Harding’s enthralling, riddling album is her clearest, most open-armed yet. Plus one to watch, Chloe Qisha

The actor turned mental health nurse and author on his debut adult novel, addiction and what he would say to Wes Streeting

As the country goes to the polls, our critic picks the best campaign music

Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk

Your essential guide from The Observer’s books desk

The author on education and the family secrets behind his new novel