The Spinoff’s Book of the Week: Sour Heart by the ‘astounding’ Jenny Zhang

An essay by Sam Gaskin – with GIFs! – about his old friend and now superstar author Jenny Zhang, who we can exclusively reveal will appear at the 2018 Auckland Readers and Writers Festival. In the summer of 2016 Jenny Zhang and I went to Coney Island for a swim. It was overcast, too windy … More The Spinoff’s Book of the Week: Sour Heart by the ‘astounding’ Jenny Zhang

​Jaipur’s giant, defiant literature festival turns 10

Half a million people attended last week’s literary festival in Jaipur, India. Half a million! There was anti-Muslim debate, a famous author described Trump as America’s “dick pic”, and police roamed around in camel-coloured berets. Sam Gaskin reports. In Jaipur’s historic pink city, people pick their way through narrow lanes littered with Nestea paper cups … More ​Jaipur’s giant, defiant literature festival turns 10