"Penelope Fitzgerald was a great English writer-many say the greatest in recent years-whose career didn't begin until she was nearly sixty. Her life moved from a Bishop's Palace to a sinking barge, from a life of teaching and obscurity to a blaze of renown. Her novels are short, spare masterpieces: subtle and intensely evocative. The early works draw on Fitzgerald's own experiences-working at the BBC in wartime; at a failing bookshop in Suffolk; at...

A revealing portrait of the beloved novelist, drawn from the most up-to-date scholarship and unexplored sources, presents a modern take on the woman and the world that shaped her.

"When Joanne Rowling was a young woman, she found herself down and out of luck. But, she had a best-selling idea and a tenacious spirit. If only she could find someone who wanted to publish her book... Discover how J. K. Rowling became a best-selling author and publishing sensation in this true story of her life. Then, learn 10 key lessons from her work you can apply to your own life."

When two customers come in requesting an obscure book by Jane Austen's friend Richard Mansfield, book lover and Austen enthusiast, Sophie Collingwood is drawn into the mystery of the true author of "Pride and Prejudice."

The year is 1795 and the feisty 20-year-old Jane Austen is an emerging writer who already sees a world beyond class and commerce, beyond pride and prejudice, and dreams of doing what was nearly unthinkable - marrying for love. Naturally, her parents are searching for a wealthy, well-appointed husband to assure their daughter's future social standing. As a prospective match for Jane, her parents are eyeing Mr. Wisley. He is the nephew to the very formidable,...

Adapted from the memoirs of literary critic John Bayley, the film recounts his courtship of and long marriage to British novelist Iris Murdoch. The scenario tacks back and forth from the young Iris--ready to seduce one and all with her coy command of words and sex appeal--to the elder Iris--slowly giving way to the cruel erasure of Alzheimer's.

"What a thing of wonder a mobile phone is. Six ounces of metal, glass and plastic, fashioned into a sleek, shiny, precious object. At once, a gateway to other worlds--and a treacherous weapon in the hands of the unwary, the unwitting, the inept. The Cleverley family live a gilded life, little realising how precarious their privilege is, just one tweet away from disaster. George, the patriarch, is a stalwart of television interviewing, a 'national...