Spanish author lambasts linguistic academy over social media influence
Arturo Pérez-Reverte says ‘an illiterate pundit, YouTuber or influencer’ has more impact than a literary prize winner
Love Machines by James Muldoon review – inside the uncanny world of AI relationships
A sociologist talks to the people putting their faith – and their hearts – in the hands of robots
‘It’s younger people seeking some sort of spirituality’: UK Bible sales reach record high
Surge in 2025 sales correlates with the growth in church attendances in England and Wales, research shows
Industry to Blue Velvet: the week in rave reviews
The high-finance melodrama returns, darker than ever, and David Lynch’s nightmare in suburbia gets another outing in the cinema. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews
The Guardian view on granting legal rights to AI: humans should not give house-room to an ill-advised debate
Editorial: Anthropomorphising tech helps Silicon Valley shares to soar, but our empathy should be directed to worthier causes
With Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies, Béla Tarr became the vividly disquieting master of spiritual desolation
The Hungarian director’s films moved slowly like vast gothic aircraft carrier-sized ships across dark seas, giving audiences a feeling of drunkenness and hangover at the same time
Love, desire and community: the new generation of readers bonding over romance novels
Young women drawn to ‘morally grey characters’ are driving a boom sparked by TikTok, Instagram and online friendships
Hamnet review – Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley beguile and captivate in audacious Shakespearean tragedy
Chloé Zhao’s film version of Maggie O’Farrell’s myth-making novel powerfully reimagines the agonising loss of a child as the source of Hamlet’s grand stage drama
The Traitors to Dry Cleaning: the week in rave reviews
Claudia Winkleman returns with the regular version of the hit gameshow, while the left-field indie quartet spread their wings. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews
From the World Cup to the return of Michaela Coel, 2026 promises to excite and bring joy
A very Long Wave-coded book, a landmark Nigerian film and more Black art and culture on its way in the next 12 months
‘It’s no romcom’: why the real Wuthering Heights is too extreme for the screen
The new film adaptation by Saltburn director Emerald Fennell looks set to be provocative – but nowhere near as shocking as Emily Brontë’s original
Could AI relationships actually be good for us?
From companionship to psychotherapy, technology could meet unmet needs – but it needs to be handled responsibly
The Lowdown to The Devil’s Backbone: the week in rave reviews
Ethan Hawke is a triumph in a poignant new comedy-drama, and Guillermo del Toro’s breakout horror flick gets a rerelease. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews
Bowie: The Final Act review – moving and enjoyable tribute to music legend’s last stand
Singer’s final decades can’t really be called his creative golden years but there are touching contributions from his collaborators
‘I’ve waited for this movie my whole life’: Guardian readers’ best films of 2025
From the surreal fairytale The Ice Tower to the revenge western Tornado, our readers share the films that had the biggest impact on them this year