International artists join campaign to overturn UK prison book ban
Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova among those writing movingly of value of reading during their incarceration
How to do justice to Christ’s Last Words
Haydn's meditations on Christ's Seven Last Words are among the great pieces of Easter music. But could Ruth Padel, steeped in Darwin and Freud, write poetry about this cornerstone of Christianity?
Theo by Ed Taylor review – unhappy tale of a dysfunctional rock star’s 10-year-old son
It is Theo's fate to be the son of the drugged-up guitarist from one of the world's biggest rock bands – and that does not make for a happy childhood, writes Jane Housham
Latin America reacts to death of literary colossus Gabriel García Márquez
Singer Shakira joins presidents of Colombia and Mexico, as well as Bill Clinton, in paying tribute to Nobel prize-winner
Smell the vinyl: six of the best fictional record shops
In the runup to Record Store Day 2014, Michael Hogan names some of the finest fictional pop purveyors
John Ogdon’s troubled genius: a new biography of the Piano Man
Tom Service: As the first full biography of pianist John Ogdon is published, hear how his astonishing music-making transcended his psychological difficulties
Madeleine St John and Belle and Sebastian: style and substance
Nikki Lusk chooses apt soundtracks for classic Australian literature. Here she pairs Madeleine St John’s The Women in Black with Belle & Sebastian’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress
Debunking the Anzac myth starts with the stories we tell our children
An illustrated children's book about the battlefield’s real legacy encourages young Australians to contemplate the futility of war
Faust proves the devil has the best tunes
The story of the man who sells his soul for worldly gain has been a powerful influence on composers and writers for centuries. As three new Fausts open at the Royal Opera House, Philip Hensher journeys into the abyss
Krautrock pioneers Can to release official biography
The two-volume book is a collaboration with Faber Social and is due for release in spring 2016
Did artists foresee the first world war?
In the years before the Great War, artists from Stravinsky to Picasso started rebelling against the old order. Perhaps they already sensed that a catastrophic change was on its way, writes Margaret MacMillan
Does everyone share Hall’s vision of making BBC arts as important as news?
Maggie Brown: Ratings-focused managers could sabotage director general's plans for more Glyndebourne, Hay festival and Royal Academy
Madonna to return to film directing with Adé: A Love Story
Pop legend will direct Africa-set romance adapted from the novel by Rebecca Walker, daughter of Color Purple author Alice• Remind yourself of Madonna's last effort behind the camera
Ministers defend ban on sending books to prisoners in England and Wales
Ban denounced as vindictive by authors is essential to new regime of rewards and privileges, government says