Leo Tolstoy
The Scent of Flowers at Night by Leïla Slimani review – a writer’s lot
The French-Moroccan author’s slightly precious meditation on literary creation is strongest when examining its limitations and reflecting on her own childhood
John Self
28, May, 2023 @8:00 AM
Anna Karenina review – sparky feminist reading of Tolstoy
Lesley Hart’s adaptation of the classic novel is driven with tremendous energy following its tragic heroine as she discards bourgeois convention
Mark Fisher
18, May, 2023 @10:04 AM
A Couple review – Tolstoy’s other half in mournful closeup
Venice film festival: Nathalie Boutefou is superb as Sofia, the author’s wife, assistant and rival, in a shrewd character study
Peter Bradshaw
02, Sep, 2022 @2:45 PM
In brief: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain; The Slow Road to Tehran; Drift – review
George Saunders leads a writing masterclass, Rebecca Lowe goes on a cycling adventure and Caryl Lewis makes a magical English-language fiction debut
Ben East
01, May, 2022 @10:30 AM
Anna Karenina review – overthought and underdone
Though well acted, this revival of Helen Edmundson’s 1992 adaptation doesn’t feel ready for the big stage
Clare Brennan
20, Feb, 2022 @11:30 AM
Anna Karenina review – Tolstoy meets Baz Luhrmann in a magnificent spectacle
With hula hoops and giant birthday cake, this show bashes the narrative with disco glitz, but keeps Anna’s tragic journey right at its centre
Nick Ahad
11, Feb, 2022 @10:42 AM
The Guardian view on memory in art: fallible yet magical | Editorial
Editorial: Works by great creators such as Jack B Yeats and Tolstoy show how an unreliable recall of the past can be transfigured
Editorial
27, Jan, 2022 @6:34 PM
The 20-page rule: how much time should you give a devastatingly boring book?
Novelist Mark Billingham advises readers to angrily launch a book across the room after 20 non-gripping pages – but almost 40% of people will keep going right to the end
12, Oct, 2021 @1:36 PM
Top 10 bookworms in fiction | Cathy Rentzenbrink
If you’re reading a novel, the chances are you’ll be able to relate to characters who love reading, too. These works showcase some of literature’s finest bibliophiles
Cathy Rentzenbrink
11, Aug, 2021 @11:00 AM
Helen McCrory shone as Anna Karenina | Brief letters
Brief letters: Supply teachers | Texting the PM | Helen McCrory | European Super League | Picking up the Guardian
Letters
22, Apr, 2021 @5:14 PM
Country diary: cutting-edge technology from the stone age
Wellington, Somerset: The blade is shaped like a toucan’s bill and the long wooden handle has the pleasing curve of a well-balanced spine
Anita Roy
22, Mar, 2021 @5:30 AM
Christopher Plummer remembered: 'It was a privilege to stand so close to greatness'
Michael Hoffman, who directed Plummer and Helen Mirren in Tolstoy biopic The Last Station, recalls the actors’ joyful connection and how Plummer turned the script into gold
Michael Hoffman
08, Feb, 2021 @10:17 AM
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