James Whitmore

James Whitmore spent his formative years in Bristol reading far too much for someone who claimed not to be a literary type. He studied English at Exeter, drifted into book reviewing almost accidentally, and ended up in Seville following a relationship that did not survive but a love of the city that very much did.

News

Tina Fey Will Adapt Finlay Donovan — Which Raises the Usual Questions About Books and Television

Tina Fey has announced she will adapt the Finlay Donovan mystery series for television. Whether the adaptation industry is good or bad for literary culture is a question with a more complicated answer than either camp usually admits.

Mar 20, 2026 · 3 min read

Authors

Sofía Balbuena Wins the Ribera del Duero Prize and Talks About Women's Inner Torment

Spanish author Sofía Balbuena has won the Ribera del Duero Prize for short fiction. Her work explores the inner lives of women — not as a sociological exercise, but as the only territory she seems interested in mapping.

Mar 20, 2026 · 3 min read

Authors

Mariner Is Bringing Philip Roth Back — Which Raises the Usual Questions

Mariner Books has announced a Philip Roth reissue programme. Nobody is surprised, everyone has an opinion, and the books remain exactly as good and as troubling as they always were.

Mar 20, 2026 · 3 min read

News

A Publisher Pulls a Book Over AI Allegations — and Nobody Can Quite Say What the Rules Are

A publisher withdrew a title this week after readers raised concerns about AI involvement in its writing. The incident reveals not a clear policy failure but a more embarrassing truth: the industry has no coherent policy at all.

Mar 20, 2026 · 3 min read

Literary Trends

The Quiet Novel Is Having Its Moment Again, and I Have Some Reservations

Short, spare, atmospheric fiction is dominating literary conversations in 2026. James Whitmore is interested — but also a little suspicious.

Mar 16, 2026 · 6 min read