A prolific reader, Julia didn’t start to read like a writer until she was 15, and read Jane Eyre. She took an MA in creative writing, but concentrated on poetry. It wasn’t until the end of the course that she had an idea for a novel.

Kya deLongchamps celebrates a new energy in Scandinavian interior style — and gives a rundown of the new items and old names that will conjure up cool interiors.

Children who always have their nose in a book are likely to end up with a better vocabulary as adults, research has found.

Whatever Steve McQueen does next, the chances are Michael Fassbender will be by his side.

YESTERDAY I got to see a proof of the forthcoming paperback edition of (shameless plug alert) my book The Liberty Tree, all fantastic graphics and fantastic review quotes (end of shameless plug), and it made me feel so glad that (a) my book exists and (b) all books exist.

No matter how big or superficial it gets, we can always freestyle with that off button.

YOU ON holiday? — a man out walking his dog asked, as we stepped out of the car on the quayside at Clifden.

IT’S ALL about the tea.

Cork actress Maxine Linehan is in a better position than most to channel the spirit of Charlotte Brontë.

In One Person

WE’RE waiting for the stars to arrive when the first distress message comes through.

Actor John Hurt has picked up the first of two lifetime achievement awards.

Actor John Hurt has picked up the first of two lifetime achievement awards.

Meryl Streep has been nominated for the Best Actress prize at this year's Academy Awards, but Ireland's Michael Fassbender has failed to get a nomination for his role in 'Shame'.

Romantic hero, sex addict, hunger striker — the sky’s the limit for Kerry actor Michael Fassbender. A glittering array of performances has taken him from obscurity to being man of the moment, says Helen Barlow

TERENCE MALICK’S return to the fray was one of the highlights of 2011’s film year.

AT the moment, there’s just no stopping Michael Fassbender.

MIA WASIKOWSKA brings a luminous quality to the supposedly plain heroine of Jane Eyre (12A), but that’s one of the few caveats worth mentioning in relation to Cary Fukunaga’s adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel.

At the moment, there’s just no stopping Michael Fassbender.

AS the stars gathered for the seventh annual Irish Film and Television (IFTA) awards, one of the most charming and amiable turned out to be the surprisingly charismatic Jon Voight, father of Angelina Jolie, and acclaimed actor in his own right.

Comedian Ricky Gervais has blasted the entertainment industry in his native England, insisting the country fails to produce original movie ideas.

British film 'Atonement' was named best film at a toned-down Golden Globes ceremony in Los Angeles today.

Casualty trounced its soap rivals on a night of surprises at the TV Baftas tonight.

Oscar nominee Dame Judi Dench is to star in a BBC costume drama based on the novels of Elizabeth Gaskell, it was announced today.

Little Britain star David Walliams is starring in a new BBC film by writer and director Stephen Poliakoff.

Little Britain stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams have signed a three-year 'golden handcuffs' deal with the BBC, it was announced today.

The biopic of Jane Eyre writer Charlotte Bronte has attracted a star line-up.

A first edition of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre sold for nearly €35,000 at auction today.

Singer Alanis Morissette has come to the rescue of the Broadway musical Jane Eyre, based on the Charlotte Bronte novel.