George Eliot

The Irish Times literary editor was one of 82 foreigners polled by the BBC to choose the 100 best British novels. Read how he got on

‘Read your first drafts out loud to yourself, as if you were giving a sermon – a great way to show up areas in need of improvement’

Brought to Book Q&A: Irish author and academic on how he writes and what he reads

Distinguished biographer Diana Souhami has vexed some critics by writing a novel based on George Eliot’s Gwendolen Harleth. Here she defends the merits and freedom of the ‘Chutzpah Press’

This week, to mark the end of our How to Write a Book series, we have a daily Q&A with a debut author

Taking your ereader to the beach will free you from sandy pages, smudges, sore wrists and one-arm sunburn

The rewards of being a writer outweigh the wages she earned as a Manhattan lawyer

‘I write in a very troubling manner that I wouldn’t advise anyone to adopt’

George Eliot’s classic reveals its wisdom through different stages of life

These are some of our favourite opening lines - could you write one of your own? Post it in the comment box below. We might even find a suitable prize for the best or funniest

‘Eat, Pray, Love’ author says writers ‘forget how privileged they are’ at public talk

The more the next generation of games and TV series grab our attention, the more they confirm the power of cinema

A feminist and political radical, Eliot was deeply embedded in European traditions

Here’s a tricky, playfully daft thriller from an always subversive director