Topic: V.S. Naipaul

The Monitor's View: What history should record of the Boston bombings

Just as memorable as the Boston bombings was the shared, collective response. Yet the focus remains on divisions, such as classifying the bombers by their background and motives. Isn't the display of shared humanity just as important?

Modern Parenthood Thank you, Gloria Steinem: Feminism, family, and the fourth wave

Thank you, Gloria Steinem: Feminism, family and the fourth wave of the women's movement collide for our blogger as she watches a Gloria Steinem biopic with her son and wonders, who will lead today's female activists?

Can you sue over a bad book review?

Harvard historian and author Niall Ferguson received a bad review from the London Review of Books and now tells the editor he may take legal action.

Finally – a Booker Prize win for Julian Barnes

His fourth time nominated was the charm for British novelist Julian Barnes, winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize.

Nobel Prize in Literature: Winners from the past 10 years

The 2011 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, a notoriously hard-to-predict award, will be announced on Thursday. Here are the winners from the past decade. Some were surprise candidates while others were expected but all – in their own unique styles – caught the attention of the Nobel committee.

Up and down the ladder of certainty

When we say something is 'arguable,' are we making the case for it – or calling it into question?

V.S. Naipaul feels superior to Jane Austen? Sorry, but he's just not

Is there any good reason for Naipaul to want a showdown he can't possibly win?

The Masque of Africa

How are are Africa’s religions faring in the 21st century? Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul visits to find out.

Nobel Prize in Literature: Which Latin American writers have won?

Mario Vargas Llosa is the first Latin American to win the honored literary prize in 12 years. Of the 102 awards presented since 1901, only eight have gone to Latin American writers.

Mario Vargas Llosa wins 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature. Who else won in the past decade?

Mario Vargas Llosa has won the 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature. The Peruvian author and former presidential candidate received the prestigious Cervantes Prize in 1995 and is the first South American author to win the Nobel since Gabriel García Márquez won the award in 1982. Here are the past decade's winners.

Ex-wife criticizes Nelson Mandela – and many South Africans agree

Nelson Mandela ‘let us down,’ the London Evening Standard reported ex-wife Winnie Mandela as saying. Many black South Africans expected more economic progress by now.

The books critics liked best in 2008

Classic book review: Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey

A vivid, opinionated journey through the world of Islam.

Amid rumors about Post book section, their critic wins a prize

What book reviewers are saying this week