Czech author dismisses reports that he denounced western agent in 1950 as 'assassination' attempt

A day ahead of the final verdict, figures register little excitement among book buyers

Charlotte Leslie: This attack on libraries is a return to a time when only the elite could afford quiet

Lee Rourke: The British fear of esoteric thinking has left our Booker shortlist an embarrassing failure

Sam Jordison: As with others on the list, Toltz's 700-plus-page debut is another potentially excellent book undone by its excesses

Germany's top literary critic spurned a lifetime-achievement prize and tore into television. By Jess Smee

He admires David Cameron and thinks it's sometimes better to shoot wildlife than photograph it. Survival expert Ray Mears is full of surprises, Patrick Barkham discovers

Bonnie Greer: My hero, James Baldwin, introduced me to the idea of claiming an identity through exile. Despite censure, it brought him peace

Recommended books for pianists

A good nightclub needs its freaks. And this history of clubland eccentrics suggests they're back in droves, says Paul Mardles

Terrific on Lennon's early years but its scope is limited

Novel by Bernard Cornwell commemorates the English triumph at the Battle of Agincourt

The Observer Panel: Last week's announcements of the Nobel Prize winners generated little excitement and some scorn

Key aim of award, judged by Jo Brand and panel, is to attract more people to the world of medicine

Exeter College to publish undergraduate comments and jokes taken from college suggestion book