Arts

Over the weekend, an Italian financial journalist outed the identity of author Elena Ferrante, whose pseudonym lent intrigue to her bestselling novels. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Dayna Tortorici of n+1 magazine about the outing.

Gloria Naylor's debut novel, The Women of Brewster Place, won a National Book Award and became a TV mini-series starring Oprah Winfrey. Naylor has died at age 66.

Rabih Alameddine has much in common with the hero of his new novel: Both are gay, Arab writers in San Francisco. And both lost friends to the AIDS epidemic, and are angry that it's being forgotten.

Dogs can sniff out people, drugs, bombs, cancer, time of day, oncoming storms and much more. In her new book Being A Dog, Alexandra Horowitz explores the mysteries and mechanics of canine noses.

Darjeeling is the "Champagne of teas," sold by distinct harvest season, or flush. But while many of India's top tea experts point to the autumn flush as their favorite, those teas are largely unknown.

Maria Semple's new novel centers on erratic, overworked mother Eleanor, who makes a promise before the book begins: Today will be different. And it is, but not the way she expected or hoped for.

Luke Cage was one of the first black superheroes on comics pages. Now, he's a TV pioneer too, with Marvel's Luke Cage, which updates the blaxploitation-inspired character for modern viewers.

After Forrest Gump became a best-seller, Winston Groom says he ran out of good ideas for novels — until now. His new book, El Paso, is set during the Mexican Revolution.

An investigative journalist claims to have uncovered the true identity of a famously private novelist. Writers and readers alike have rejected the claims as an egregious, unnecessary intrusion.

Online sources suggest cooking vegetables in the microwave for a quick and easy dinner. But microwaving veggies can get a little bit explosive. Who knew kale chips could offer a lesson in physics?

Emma Donoghue's latest novel focuses on an 11-year-old girl who refuses to eat, and the nurse who is responsible for her care. Critic Maureen Corrigan says The Wonder is aptly named.

Gustav Perle is a young boy growing up in Switzerland after World War II. And the defining factor in his life is that his mother does not love him. The Gustav Sonata is Rose Tremain's 13th novel.