And the girls, three of them university students, are so silly: dreaming non-stop of love and marriage, practising astrology, obsessed by the men they never, or hardly ever, are allowed to see but with whom they chirp like crickets throughout the night on their mobile phones.

ECONOMIST: Saudi fiction

On Mondays, Aron never gave any sign that he had formed a connection with either of them, never spoke to them before or after class, hardly even looked at them.

NEWYORKER: Luda and Milena

Never used for transport or war, unlike canoes and sailboats, they have hardly changed over the centuries.

BBC: Hong Kong: The birthplace of modern dragons