Readings

Already a successful stockbroker, Jo Nesbø first cut his teeth singing songs and writing lyrics for Norwegian rock band Di Derre (Those Guys). A jet-lagged Nesbø talks about the origins of Harry Hole, the protagonist in so many of his dark thrillers, and how he got into writing in the first place with the only recently translated The Bat.

There are greater singers than Leonard Cohen, and as a new biography by Sylvie Simmons details, few cultural icons who can rival him for caddish behaviour. Still, after a career spanning fifty years, the appeal of both his art and persona endures. How does Cohen get away with it?