This week, we introduce a very festive issue; and Toby Lichtig on the puppeteers pulling the strings of this season's big productions.

This week, we introduce a very festive issue; and Toby Lichtig on the puppeteers pulling the strings of this season's big productions. 'The Pelican Child', by Joy Williams'The BFG', by Roald Dahl, adapted by Tom Wells RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon'Pinocchio', by Carlo Collodi, adapted by Charlie Josephine, Globe Theatre Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Merry Christmas!

This week, Lily Herd heads for outer space in the company of a prodigious imagination; and Andrew Motion joins us with a wonderful new poem.

This week, Lily Herd heads for outer space in the company of a prodigious imagination; and Andrew Motion joins us with a wonderful new poem. 'Collected Stories' by Cixin Liu, translated by John Chu, Andy Dudak et al'All that We See or Seem', by Ken Liu'Snow', by Andrew Motion&nbsp; Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Altogether Elsewhere

This week, Devoney Looser on what we don't know about Jane Austen; and Peter Swaab introduces a previously unpublished story by the great Sylvia Townsend Warner. 

This week, Devoney Looser on what we don't know about Jane Austen; and Peter Swaab introduces a previously unpublished story by the great Sylvia Townsend Warner.&nbsp; 'Jane Austen in 41 Objects', by Kathryn Sutherland'Jane Austen’s Bookshelf:&nbsp;The women writers who shaped a legend', by Rebecca RomneyJane Austen and George Eliot:&nbsp;The lady and the radical', by Edward Whitley'Wild for Austen:&nbsp;A rebellious, subversive, and untamed Jane', by Devoney Looser'The Pursuit and the End', by Sylvia Townsend Warner Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Beyond the bonnet

This week, Camille Ralphs confides the highs and lows of travelling by Greyhound bus; and Alev Adil boards a train to join current night owls and bygone tourists.

This week, Camille Ralphs confides the highs and lows of travelling by Greyhound bus; and Alev Adil boards a train to join current night owls and bygone tourists. 'Greyhound', by Joanna Pocock'Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train', by Monisha Rajesh'To the Sea by Train: The Golden Age of Railway Travel', by Andrew Martin Produced by Charlotte Pardy

In Transit

This week, Damian Flanagan explores the complex history of the Japanese masterpiece The Tale of Genji; and Miranda France on the eventful life and enduring work of Miguel de Cervantes.

This week, Damian Flanagan explores the complex history of the Japanese masterpiece The Tale of Genji; and Miranda France on the eventful life and enduring work of Miguel de Cervantes. 'The Tale of Genji', by Murasaki Shikibu'El Verano de Cervantes', by Antonio Muñoz Molina'El Cautivo', directed by Alejandro Amenábar Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Foundation course

This week, TLS contributors select their favourites from 2025; plus an interview with CD Rose, winner of this year’s Goldsmiths Prize.

This week, TLS contributors select their favourites from 2025; plus an interview with CD Rose, winner of this year’s Goldsmiths Prize. ‘We Live Here Now’, by CD Rose Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Books of the Year

This week, how well does Alan Hollinghurst's novel The Line of Beauty translate to the stage? And Toby Lichtig interviews the newest winner of the Booker Prize, David Szalay.

This week, how well does Alan Hollinghurst's novel The Line of Beauty translate to the stage? And Toby Lichtig interviews the newest winner of the Booker Prize, David Szalay. 'The Line of Beauty', by Jack Holden, based on the novel by Alan Hollinghurst, Almeida Theatre, London, until November 29'Flesh', by David Szalay Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Devices and Desires

This week, Terri Apter reviews a quartet of books exploring the impact of parenthood on identity, particularly for women; and we revisit Helen Garner, as she wins the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.

This week, Terri Apter reviews a quartet of books exploring the impact of parenthood on identity, particularly for women; and we revisit Helen Garner, as she wins the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. 'Four Mothers: A year of motherhood around the world', by Abigail Leonard'The Republic of Parenthood: On bringing up babies', by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett'Second Life: Having a child in the digital age', by Amanda Hess'Childless by Choice: The meaning and legacy of a childfree life', by Helen Taylor'How to End a Story: Collected Diaries', by Helen Garner Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Motherload

This week, Lily Herd introduces us to the concept of Fascist Yoga; and Mark Storey on America’s ghosts.

This week, Lily Herd introduces us to the concept of Fascist Yoga; and Mark Storey on America’s ghosts. ‘Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread’, by Leila Taylor‘Haunted States: An American Gothic Guidebook’, by Miranda Corcoran Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Scare Stories

A weekly podcast from The Times Literary Supplement 

A weekly podcast on books and culture brought to you by the writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement.To read more, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.the-tls.com/">welcome to the TLS</a>.

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