Absence having hopefully made the heart grow fonder, I’m back, anseo in the oifig,  post-Berlin (note to booksellers: please start stocking Christopher Isherwood again) and post-Paris (that part was a surprise), and have missed all sorts of Arts and Culture news. Thankfully, the good John Self has kept me abreast of things like the Orange Prize longlist, where I see names like Marilynne Robinson, Toni Morrison Deirdre Madden, and a lot of other contenders. Anyone care to place bets?