Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez described himself as "very happy" on his 86th birthday, which he celebrated Wednesday at his home in this capital in the company of family and friends.

British television celebrity and best-selling cookbook author Nigella Lawson recalls that when the other girls wanted to be French, she wanted to be Italian.

Two brothers and their wives meet for dinner in Amsterdam. One brother is a politician, the other a former history teacher who seethes with resentment that he hides behind manners.

Born in Pakistan and raised in Britain, Nadeem Aslam's writing, drawn from a life lived with one foot in the war on terror in his birthplace and neighboring Afghanistan, has made him one of South Asia's most celebrated writers.

Few authors can boast that Pope Benedict helped sell their books, but the pontiff's shock resignation has boosted interest in all things Catholic just as veteran Vatican journalist John Thavis is about to publish.

Lee Child, author of 17 novels including "Killing Floor," "One Shot," and "The Affair," has been awarded the Diamond Dagger for lifetime achievement in crime fiction.

After writing the screenplay of "Kai Po Che!" -- an adaptation of his novel "The 3 Mistakes of My Life" -- the 38-year-old author from Mumbai is now writing the script for a Telugu film remake. The film, titled "Kick", will star Salman Khan.

Mahasweta Devi, rights activist and iconic Bengali writer, struck a strident note during her session that flagged off the Jaipur literature festival by calling into question the constant suppression of women, tribals and landless labourers. Anurupa Sen reports.

Kannada author UR Ananthamurthy has been shortlisted among 10 other authors for the international Man Booker Prize for fiction. Ananthamurthy, 80, is the only Indian among to have made it to the final list of the prestigious prize announced at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival in Jaipur today.

Lal Singh Dil was a destitute Dalit poet whose verses on caste oppression and call for a revolution made him the bard of the Maoist movement in Punjab. But despite being a legend in his state, few know about the poet outside.

As India's slow justice system occupies national attention a well known writer says the working of the judiciary must stand up to public scrutiny from lay people.

Patti Smith, whose previous memoir Just Kids won the nonfiction prize at the US National Book Awards in 2011, has a follow-up on her work schedule for 2013.