Patrick modiano

With 20 nominees across five categories, it's little surprise that the Costa Book Award shortlists prove eclectic. Also: A remembrance of the late novelist and transgender activist Leslie Feinberg.

More than 3,000 books from the British Nobel laureate's collection have been donated to a library in Zimbabwe, where Lessing lived for 25 years. Also: J.K. Rowling promises 12 days of Harry Potter.

Apple goes before an appeals court in a battle expected to help clarify the legal line between business agreements and outright collusion. Also: Hilary Mantel denounces her critics' "froth and bile."

The win for Helen Macdonald's H Is for Hawk marks the first time that the Samuel Johnson Prize has gone to a memoir. Meanwhile, Lena Dunham answers sexual abuse allegations with a statement in Time.

The French novelist may enjoy a vast audience in his own country, but for most English-only speakers, Modiano is still a mystery. Read a few profiles of the man — and excerpts of his actual writing.