The inner life of Toon Tellegen’s very anxious hedgehog delivers a cosy philosophy to an audience of all ages
Set in Ukraine in 2014, Sergei Lebedev’s novel explores continuities of state control and suppression
This spellbinding 1948 tale of ‘dissatisfied women, malicious women and jealous women’ can now be enjoyed by English-speaking readers
A lesser-known work by the 19th-century Russian novelist is enjoying a sales boom driven by TikTok. What’s that all about?
How Wagner’s Ring Cycle shaped the music of Star Wars and more; a sobering dive into the silliness and manipulation central to ‘reality’ TV; an enjoyable ride through 200 years of British rail history; a debut set amid the violence of 1970s Argentina; a belated translation of a 1978 literary novel from Central America — plus Boyd Tonkin on 1925 and all that
From ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Mrs Dalloway’ to ‘The Trial’: the trailblazing works of that year’s literary gold rush remain vivid and influential today
Pola Oloixarac’s debut novel is an ambitious, if flawed, attempt to process political brutality through philosophy
Augusto Monterroso’s playful tale of a writer in search of a lasting legacy takes aim at the literary establishment
Fog disrupts a film crew trying to record a diver’s deep descent without air — written exclusively for the FT by the acclaimed author of ‘Sisters’ and ‘Everything Under’
From Joyce to 21st-century feminism to a new on-screen reimagining: why this millennia-old poem and its complicated hero continue to inspire
Alejandro Zambra explores the ups and downs of fatherhood in this collection of essays, poems and stories
David Safier’s new crime series grants the former German chancellor a lively post-leadership twilight as a super sleuth
Eva Menasse’s sprawling bestseller, set in the run-up to the fall of the Berlin Wall, confronts a nation with its murky past
These cynical domestic horror stories by the Guinness heiress seem to speak to a contemporary mindset
Compiled over more than a decade, the Nobel winner’s notebooks combine memoir with his own colourful paintings
AI could instantly open up a huge range of books in different languages — but fiction really does require that human touch
A mother-and-son road trip is propelled by guilt and unease in Christian Kracht’s hilariously unsettling novel
The American journalist’s fiction debut is a difficult, beautiful tale of coming of age at a 1960s New England boarding school
From intergalactic sci-fi to 1970s California, Clark’s unnerving and surreal short stories traverse time, place and genre
Guided by enthusiasm, Edwin Frank’s study sidesteps the pitfalls of canonisation
A crop of fantasy novels features female warriors — and Vikings from a cult board game
Susan Minot’s first novel in a decade explores familiar themes with a pared-back tale of mid-life female desire
Malachy Tallack makes his most imaginative journey home to the Shetlands
A haunting novel set in the freezing, snowbound English winter of 1963
We asked you to share your favourite reads of the year — here are the results
