FRANKFURT (Reuters Life!) - Brick Lane author Monica Ali, undeterred by charges of ethnic misrepresentation against her best-selling debut, laid out yet another multi-ethnic tangle for her latest work "In The Kitchen." The author, who faced accusations of giving London's Bangladeshi community and particularly people from the Sylhet region, a bad name in her 2003 novel Brick Lane, said that ...

At last the Radio Four 'Controller' (does anyone know who dreamt up such an oddly Orwellian title for the head of a radio channel? ) has come up with something to fill the slot on Saturday mornings once filled by John Peel and his Home Truths programme. Sharp at nine, Fi Glover bounced on to the airwaves, announcing, 'It's new ...

ALENTEJO BLUE by Monica Ali Doubleday,

Brick Lane, Monica Ali's first novel, sold a great many copies and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. It was also criticised by those guardians of the public conscience who write letters to newspapers on the grounds of cultural tourism. Despite her impeccable Bangladeshi origins, these detractors alleged, the Oxford-educated Ms Ali ...

Dozens of renowned British writers came out against new anti-terrorism legislation Sunday, publishing a collection of satire, essays, fiction and poetry to protest a proposal allowing police to hold suspects without charge for up to 42 days. Forty-two authors including Monica Ali, Julian Barnes, Ian Rankin, Alain de ...