books

We are living in an era of dissent, but what does that mean in 2026? According to writer Gal Beckerman, to be a dissident is as much a way of being as it is an act of resistance. In his new book “How to Be a Dissident,” Beckerman, a staff writer for the Atlantic, unpacks dissent as a kind of rough art. His book is both an instruction guide and a primer.

In nine short, potent chapters, Beckerman lays out the essential traits of an effective dissident — loyalty, recklessness and watchfulness, among them — to illustrate how communities of resistance are built from the ground up. I recently chatted with Beckerman about playwright and former president of the Czech Republic Václav Havel, President Trump and AI.

✍️ Author Chat

You have written three books that deal with dissent — political, cultural and societal. It’s clearly a big issue with you.

I don’t think of myself as an activist; I don’t approach these topics with an activist’s fervor. I’m genuinely curious about how change happens in society. All four of my grandparents survived the Holocaust, and I think the notion of a society that can change that quickly and turn on you was always very shocking and interesting to me.

In reading your book, it’s really inspiring and extraordinary to read about individuals putting their lives on the line to make change happen.

They genuinely fascinate me as these bizarre human beings who are able to act in ways that I find really mysterious. There’s a mystery as to how people’s minds actually change, and how society can change.

You write about making moral choices, and doing something bold because of some strongly held belief. This is not the same thing as joining the crowd, which can be the path of least resistance.

I had this feeling during the first few months of the current Trump term (and I share this sentiment with a lot of people) that we were just bowled over by the degree to which people in elite places were acquiescing to the exercise of executive power and being willing to bend the knee in ways that felt shocking to me. This prompted me to wonder, what would I do in that situation? Would I say “no” and not succumb to the will of executive power? Would any of us do so? It’s a question we all have to ask ourselves.

You cite Iris Murdoch’s notion of “radical humanism” as a key trait of effective dissent.

Radical humanists are attuned to the messy and wonderful ways that beings just are. They are defending those conditions for human beings to have a normal life, whether that means being able to listen to whatever music you like, or to wear your hair in a certain way, or to take care of a neighbor that is being ill-treated. Václav Havel called it the “pre-political” way of thinking and acting. And we saw this recently in Minnesota, with people standing up to ICE, regardless of what their political affiliations might be. Something pre-political was going on.

Another important factor you cite is civic mindedness, which feels like a difficult goal given how our communities have been dissolved by our screen addictions.

The communication tools that we use are dehumanizing in many ways because they don’t allow us to really see each other. Instead we preconceive each other and just scream a lot. And we know this at a gut level even as we continue to use them. That’s why I do think it takes an almost dissident sort of energy to insist on thinking in a different way and scrambling the assumptions that our modes of communication have foisted upon us.

What about AI? It feels as if there is a lot of resistance to accepting AI into our lives just because technology companies are investing billions of dollars to make it so. You are seeing communities protesting against the construction of data farms in their neighborhoods, for example.

The money behind the ideology pushing AI is about letting us feel that the only way to have an efficient life is through AI. And I feel like the 20th century taught us that there are lots of ideologies that come around to promise this sort of thing. And so we need to learn from that. I think there are a lot of overwhelming powers that try to flatten us. But we have to take that wonderful human element, that radical humanism, to say no, maybe there’s a way to do it better.

📰 The Week(s) in Books

Monica Lewinsky as a saint offering solace to the lovelorn and abandoned? Julia Langbein’s wild conceit works beautifully in her novel “Dear Monica Lewinsky,” according to Julia M. Klein, who calls the book “smart, poignant and involving.”

Among the casualties of the Vietnam War were the Appalachian communities whose male populations were decimated on the frontlines. This is the subject of Pamela Steele’s “taut, lyrical” novel “In the Fields of Fatherless Children,” a book that delves into the “poverty, racism, environmental degradation and despair suffered in the Appalachian ‘holler’ during the Vietnam era,” writes Meredith Maran.

The Times’ Deputy Entertainment and Arts Editor Nate Jackson sat down with the rapper, actor and K-Town native Jonnie Park to discuss his memoir, “Spit: A Life in Battles.”

Finally, Maddie Connors answers the question, “why are novels getting shorter?” Welcome to the age of the Adderall novel.

📖 Bookstore Faves

The inside of Mystery Pier Books

(Mystery Pier Books)

Established in 1998, Mystery Pier Books is L.A.’s prime destination for rare books and signed editions across a wide range of genres and forms, including Shakespeare folios and vintage sci-fi paperbacks. Located right alongside its Sunset Strip neighbor Book Soup, Mystery Pier was established by character actor Harvey Jason and his son Louis, who continue to run the store together. I chatted with Harvey about the treasures to be found in his store.

What is the market like for rare books right now?

Very strong, in fact. We just sold a beautiful edition of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy to a private collector for $55,000. And that is actually a reasonable price for those books. We have a long list of serious collectors all over the world that contact us for books, customers that have been coming to us for years. We also sold a first edition of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” for $17,500.

Why should one own a rare book?

It’s a good investment. People who collect rare books are book lovers, first and foremost. And they are smart enough to know that the books they love can increase in value year by year. First editions never depreciate. They always become more valuable over time.

I’m interested in journalism books. Do you have any Tom Wolfe or Hunter Thompson in your store?

Hunter Thompson came in here years ago and signed all of his books, so, yes, we have his books signed by him.

Do you see young people looking to get into collecting books?

Yes. A lot of recent college graduates are building collections. It’s very heartening to see that. You can come into our store and find nice editions for $100. The front room of our store contains the first editions but our other rooms will have landmark titles for far less money. This is really a pursuit for everybody, not just wealthy collectors.

This captivating period drama has had viewers binge-watching all ten episodes after just one week

A brand new period drama adaptation has arrived on BBC iPlayer, and viewers are already captivated.

The Lady Grace Mysteries is a collection of children’s detective fiction novels, originally penned by English author Patricia Finney, before Sara Volger and Jan Burchett later came aboard as co-authors.

Written in diary format, the story centres on Lady Grace Cavendish, a maid of honour to Queen Elizabeth I, who sets out to unravel a series of mysteries within the royal court.

The series comprises 12 books in total, with the earliest releases regarded as the most beloved titles. These include Assassin, Betrayal, and Conspiracy – published in 2004 and 2005. The final instalment, Loot, hit shelves in 2010.

Now, audiences can immerse themselves in the 16th-century royal court as the beloved books have been brought to life in a new BBC adaptation. The “vibrant” new drama breathes excitement, humour and intrigue into Queen Elizabeth I’s court, appealing to younger viewers, as well as older fans who grew up devouring the books, reports the Liverpool Echo.

“The series introduces 14-year-old Grace Cavendish, a spirited lady-in-waiting with a sharp mind, a strong sense of justice and one enormous secret: she is the Queen’s top secret teenage spy,” reads the official synopsis for the series.

“Moving through the glittering but treacherous world of the Tudor court, Grace must juggle her official duties with undercover missions as she tackles everything from stolen crowns and mysterious hauntings to political plots and deadly traitors hiding in plain sight (Claudia Winkleman not included).

“With picture perfect palaces, sweeping gardens, secret passageways and lavish royal celebrations, The Lady Grace Mysteries brings the Elizabethan Golden Age to the screen in a way that feels both authentic and fresh. Alongside her best friends, Ellie, a fearless scullery maid, and Masou, an ambitious young actor, Grace’s world is packed with daring escapades, heartfelt friendships and relatable teenage drama, just with more ruffs, royal balls and assassination attempts.”

Sarah Muller, Head of Commissioning 7+ at the BBC, commented: “The Lady Grace Mysteries is everything we love in co-viewing a series: it’s warm, funny and full of adventure, with a brilliant young heroine at its heart.

“It blends mystery, history and big emotional stories in a way that feels fresh and exciting for today’s audience, while giving parents and grandparents something richly nostalgic and visually spectacular to enjoy too. We’re so proud of this show and can’t wait for families to discover Grace’s world together.”

Evie Coles takes on the role of Grace, with Rebecca Scott portraying Queen Elizabeth I. The cast further features Carys John, Twinkle Jaiswal, Rafael Alessandro, Georgia Farrow, and Fintan Buckard. All ten episodes of The Lady Grace Mysteries dropped on BBC iPlayer earlier this month (April 20), with viewers already devouring the entire series in one sitting.

Numerous fans have taken to social media to express their enthusiasm, with one user posting on X (formerly Twitter): “The Lady Grace Mysteries are heaps of fun.”

Another chimed in: “It’s actually a kids show but I’m liking the teenage spy at the Elizabethan court. Great fun with FAB costumes. Each character has their own colour scheme, Lady Grace in greens, the Queen in orange/gold, another in purple, one in blue. NICE!”

The official CBBC Instagram account also enthused: “If you like and miss Malory Towers… we’ve got you! Brand new series, with familiar faces… #TheLadyGraceMysteries is available right now.”

The Lady Grace Mysteries is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

THE beloved “Hogwarts Express” steam train could be heading for the buffers thanks to a bitter health and safety row.

The iconic service, made famous by the Harry Potter film series, is under threat after rules forced a major overhaul.

The iconic train, known as The Jacobite steam train, runs through Scotland’s stunning countryside between Fort William and Mallaig, crossing the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct.

But now the popular locomotive – which is enjoyed by around 70,000 passengers a year – is at a crossroads due to a long-running dispute over safety regulations and the resulting financial strain.  

Old-style carriages used in the films have effectively been banned because their doors don’t have central locking.

Operator West Coast Railways says being forced to swap them out has caused huge problems.

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Newer coaches are unpopular with tourists and far more expensive to run. They even require a diesel engine at the back just to power air conditioning.

The train, which should have started running this month, has yet to begin its 2026 season.

Bosses are now begging regulators at the Office of Rail and Road to allow the return of the original carriages.

James Shuttleworth of West Coast told The Telegraph: “I don’t know what we would do. We were losing money working like that and you don’t go into business to lose money.”

Local businesses are already feeling the pain, with trade slumping as visitors stay away.

Fears are now growing that unless a solution is found soon, the world-famous Hogwarts Express could run out of track for good.

Chinguetti, Mauritania – Bookkeeper Muhammad Gholam el-Habot gently pulled a pair of white gloves onto his slender hands and set about his routine in his high-ceilinged, cool library lined with steel bookshelves.

He opened a thick manuscript printed in Arabic. After leafing through its brown and frail pages, looking for damage, el-Habot closed the book with a satisfied thud, rubbed his fingers over the wrinkled leather cover, and carefully placed it in a white cardboard box.

“These books are very important to my family and me,” the librarian said, as the midday sunlight spilled in through open wooden doors. He spoke in Hassaniya Arabic, the dialect spoken in Mauritania, his voice low, his sentences halting and poetic. Fat flies buzzed around his long oval face as he worked.

“My relationship with them is like that of a father and his son,” he continued. “We must protect them until God takes the land and all the people who are on the land.”

The el-Habot family library is only one of a handful of its kind still operating in Chinguetti, a medieval fortress town or ksar in Mauritania’s northern Adrar region. Once a centre of commerce and Islamic learning between the 13th and 17th centuries, it is now largely abandoned as, over the decades, locals have sought opportunities in bigger cities.

Chinguetti is also at the mercy of a changing climate.

Mauritania, in northwest Africa, is 90 percent Sahara desert and has faced desertification for centuries. Now, human-induced climate change is an accelerant. Sand and flash storms occur more frequently, while extreme hot or cold seasons last longer than usual.

Those pressures are a “big deal” for precious books, said Andrew Bishop, a researcher at the University of Wyoming studying climate impacts on Saharan cultures.

“Extreme heat and less predictable rainfall patterns means that texts are increasingly damaged by water or heat, making many manuscripts beyond repair. More than that, the mud libraries themselves are not built for sudden rain and longer summer of over 40 degrees (Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit),” he told Al Jazeera.

Many of Chinguetti’s 4,500 residents now live in cement buildings outside the original confines of the abandoned ksar, built out of dry stone and red mudbrick. There are fears that the entire area, which is about 500 square kilometres (200 square miles) – about the size of Prague – is at risk of being buried by surrounding sand dunes in the long run, although there is not a clear timeline yet.

Islam’s ‘seventh holiest city’

El-Habot did not always want to be a bookkeeper.

But when his father grew sick in 2002, he took over the approximately 1,400 manuscripts out of obligation. It was an honour in his culture to be selected, he said.

It would be out of the question now, the 50-year-old librarian said. He imagines that his two sons would reject the duty, as many of their peers have left to explore economic opportunities in the capital city, Nouakchott, or elsewhere.

“This is something that we have to do; it is a family obligation,” el-Habot said, with a bewildered expression. “This is not even a question to be asked.”

The family manuscripts are sacred because they are rare. The bookkeeper’s ancestor, Sidi Mohamed Ould Habot, was one of about two dozen Chinguetti scholars who travelled around the Muslim world between the 18th and 19th centuries, from Egypt to Andalusia, in search of knowledge.

Between them, the scholars amassed a vast fortune of about 6,000 scripts. They covered almost every topic: Islamic jurisprudence, the hadith or teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, mathematics, medicine, and poetry. Some of the works came from the scholars themselves, including the older el-Habot, who wrote about the science of poems.

The books were stored in about 30 libraries in Chinguetti, open to people from all over the world.

At the time, the town was famous because of its location at the crossroads of trans-Saharan trade routes linking the Sahel and the Maghreb. Camel caravans guided by nomadic Berber traders transporting goods – mostly salt and gold – between northern Africa and the southern empires used the city as a way station, transforming it into a commercial hub.

Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca on foot or camel would gather in Chinguetti and prepare themselves spiritually and mentally for their long, difficult journey before heading on to Cairo. Islamic and scientific texts were exchanged, bought and sold in the town.

In West African lore, Chinguetti was referred to as Islam’s seventh holiest city. Others nicknamed it the “Sorbonne of the Sahara”, according to UNESCO.

Generation after generation managed the libraries. Over time, as the caravan trade declined due to new European sea routes, the old town emptied and several libraries closed.

“Chinguetti was the mother of all people,” el-Habot said, referring to the town’s old status as the main capital of the region. Indeed, the area now known as Mauritania was called “Bilad Shinqit” or Land of Chinguetti. In the local Soninke language, it translates to “spring of horses”.

“People had to go because they wanted to feed themselves, get education for their kids, and get better opportunities for themselves too,” el-Habot said, adding that there were no universities close by, and only a handful of primary and middle schools.

Some within his family have moved on, as well, the bookkeeper said. Those, like him, who stayed back, wanted to respect their ancestor’s three wishes.

“His wishes were that the library stay in Chinguetti, that it should be open to all seekers of knowledge, and that a male descendant of his who is religious and morally upright be the bookkeeper,” el-Habot explained. Not following those instructions, he said, could invite God’s anger.

Chinguetti’s decline is largely due to the lack of support for its traditional lifestyle, Bishop said. Annual rainfall in Mauritania has decreased by 35 percent since 1970, making it harder for herders to graze or for date palms to produce fruit.

In 1996, UNESCO granted Chinguetti and three other Mauritanian ksour World Heritage Status, cementing their rich legacy. The few people still living in the old town are allowed to renovate but only minimally, to keep its original stone architecture and the typical Moorish structuring where houses are lined up along narrow alleys that lead to a mosque with a square minaret.

Just outside Chinguetti are the excavated ruins of Abweir, a town of 25,000 believed to have been founded in 777 AD, and believed to be the “original” Chinguetti. Its residents moved from the settlement, locals believe, in 1264 – likely after a conflict. Over time, the area was completely swallowed by sand.

Saving the manuscripts

El-Habot’s job, while enjoyable much of the time, is also taxing, he admitted.

Preserving old books by reprinting or digitising the most worn-out manuscripts before they become unreadable is a costly process. He often needs chemicals to keep away book-eating insects and has to fund more suitable storage.

Then, there is the weather, which is out of his control. Mauritania swelters in the dry season between April and December, and is bitingly cold in the winter months that follow. Old pages are sensitive to both extremes and can become brittle, el-Habot said. Sometimes, when it is really hot, he places buckets of water around the library hall to spur humidity.

Flash floods, meanwhile, threaten water damage.

Visitors to the library usually pay a small fee, but tourist numbers dropped drastically across Mauritania in the mid-2000s, when armed groups attacked foreigners. The COVID-19 pandemic also reduced the flow of travellers.

Mauritania has since clamped down on violence. Tourists are slowly coming back, el-Habot said, and some of the locals who left have also returned.

In 2024, a $100,000 UNESCO restoration project provided air-conditioning units, computers and printers, as well as shelving units and storage boxes to 13 family libraries to stimulate the sector. But most libraries remain closed, their texts scattered among members. The lack of capacity of young people who are not as interested in preserving Chinguetti’s culture will continue to pose a challenge, Bishop said.

Back in the library, el-Habot continued working, his thin frame bent over his manuscripts. He opened one book and pointed excitedly at its pages: They depicted the moon in its luteal phases, and an eclipse. A third page showed the holy cities of Mecca and Madina.

“I have to protect this heritage,” el-Habot said in his low voice. “As mine, and also for all of humanity.”

WHAT do a former Tory councillor from Kent and a Wimbledon-supporting socialist have in common?

They are both sharing a beer with me on my “solos” group tour of Portugal.

And the three of us are talking over the day’s activities with a Trump fan from the east coast of America.

Luckily, politics is off the menu.

Very much on the menu, however, is sardines, salted cod and the country’s speciality egg yolk pastries. But more on them later.

We are part of a 26-strong group on a dash around the southwestern-most territory of Europe, which is packed with old-world charm.

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Our adventure, organised by solo tour specialist Just You, starts in Porto, where the steep hills that rise up from the River Douro are dotted higgledy-piggledy with colourful houses.

Author JK Rowling lived among the granite streets here before she was famous — and it is said the city’s gothic architecture, along with the traditional robes of its university students, inspired her world of Harry Potter.

At least one establishment, bookshop Livraria Lello, cashes in on the fact, charging entrance fees to see its elaborate interior and upstairs cafe where Rowling would drink her coffee.

Talking of elaborate, it doesn’t get much more so than the “Gold Church”, real name the Church of St Francis.

Designated a Unesco World Heritage site, its interior is dripping with carved wood covered in gold leaf, with the precious metal having been shipped over from Portugal’s former colony of Brazil.

It’s certainly dazzling, as is a trip down the Douro River to the vineyards, which supply grapes for that most Porto of products . . . port.

Can you get more Portuguese? Well, actually, my guide informs me that, historically, it was mostly grown here by the British.

The two countries have long been allies, with many Englishmen living in Portugal in the 1600s.

Back home in those days, the English liked wine but were always at war with the pesky French, meaning booze cruises across the Channel were often a no-no.

Instead, they turned to north Portugal and the Douro Valley to grow their own.

It will come as no surprise then that many of the port brands bear English names.

These include Taylor’s, Cockburn’s and Sandeman, and you can see lots of them emblazoned on the wine cellars that fill the hills of the city of Gaia, which is just across the narrow river from Porto.

By the way, white port (yes, that’s a thing) is tipped to be the next big thing in the cocktail market.

After time in Porto, Gaia and the Douro Valley, day four of my eight-day trip sees the group begin to wind south to capital Lisbon, but not before stops at Aveiro, Coimbra and Obidos.

Let’s take them one by one. Aveiro is marketed as the “Venice of Portugal”. OK, it has some canals, but a trip on a large, electric gondola just doesn’t feel as romantic.

A fellow traveller did remark on its Art Deco beauty, though.

Coimbra could maybe be the Oxford of Portugal, boasting the country’s oldest university, which dates back to 1290. Bats live in its library to eat book-destroying bugs.

A guided tour of the city, which was once the capital, will take you into the grand university building, which sits among former church schools in a street that was the widest in Europe until the 1800s.

You will also likely hear the story of Don Pedro and Donna Ines. I heard it twice and am still a little hazy on the details.

Based on truth, it is Portugal’s Romeo And Juliet tale, which involves the 14th-century prince Pedro digging up the five-year-dead corpse of his mistress Ines.

He then crowned her queen and made his courtiers kiss her hand. The things we do for love.

The walled city of Obidos continues with the historic buildings. Perched on a hilltop, the medieval settlement is completely enclosed by its fortifications. And its small size makes its stunning streets very manageable to navigate.

While there, it’s worth trying its cherry liqueur, called ginjinha, which is served in chocolate cups that you can eat afterwards.

The final days of the tour were spent in Lisbon, a city built on seven hills.

This may make exploring its small streets a challenge, but you can always hop on and off the quaint yellow trams.

The downtown area and main squares are flat enough and filled with impressive buildings despite the earthquake that devastated the area in 1755. A couple of miles out from the centre lies the Belem district.

Its Belem Tower is a small, picturesque fort which marks the transition from tall forts (for shooting arrows) to horizontal ones (for hosting canons).

And it does this by combining both aspects of those designs as it juts prettily into the Tagus river.

Thirty minutes drive from the capital lies Sintra, another Unesco World Heritage Site. With its microclimate making it cooler and wetter than Lisbon, it stays green all year round.

It also plays host to colourful palaces where past royalty would spend their summers hunting.

I’m sure they feasted well, too. And I didn’t do badly on that front, either.
The Portuguese say they have 365 different recipes for cod (one for each day of the year).

It is often dried and salted, which they call bacalhau. I had bacalhau covered with onions and accompanied by wafer-thin fried potatoes.

Another national delicacy is pastel de nata, an egg custard tart pastry, often dusted with cinnamon.

Grabbing one with a coffee will only set you back a couple of euros for both the treat and the drink.

It’s the sort of thing you can do to while away the hours with new-found friends from the group of initial strangers on the tour.

Which, arguably, is the key factor of the holiday’s success. Do you like your travel companions? Are you cut out for solo travel?

Cards on the table, this was my first solos tour. I met people I liked and no one I disliked. Ages ranged from 40 to 95, though 85 per cent were retired.

Lots I spoke to had been using solo tour companies for many, many years.

For some it was their first time.

If you haven’t tried it before, all I can say is: You might like it, you might love it.

But you only live once (unless you’re Donna Ines) . . . and Portugal is well worth a visit.

JANE Fallon has given her fans a health update after having her second surgery following her cancer diagnosis.

The author, 65, who is the partner of Ricky Gervais, told fans earlier this month that she was suffering with breast cancer, despite having no symptoms before the diagnosis.

Posting a sweet pic alongside her cat Pickles on Instagram, Jane wrote: “Little update. So, my 2nd surgery went well.

“They got the clear margin they need on the original excision, which is great. 

“They did hit a new little patch of precancerous cells on the other side of the new bit they took out but, thankfully, everyone agrees more surgery would be overkill. 

“A huge % of pre cancer doesn’t develop into cancer. 

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“I saw the oncologist today & we’ve agreed the risks of radiation outweigh the benefits in my case.

“Which leaves Tamoxifen (or similar) or wait and see (my preferred option). 

“I’m very nervous about going the drug route, because I know the side effects can be hideous, but I’m taking all the info on board & luckily there’s no pressure to make a quick decision.

“So, all good & I’m just looking forward to getting back to normal.”

Jane’s followers flocked to support her, including author Jojo Moyes who wrote: “Well done for getting through another surgery.

“Wishing you some reassuring news very soon x”

A fan added: “Happy to hear the update and it sounds very positive … yes take your time to decide , & so all the research … as of course you will x”

Another said: “That’s such uplifting news , so pleased your doing well. onwards and upwards x And cats will always upstage.”

This comes just days after Jane slammed a fake obituary that was published online after she was revealed she had cancer.

She said: “I’ve taken the post about the obituary down, because I don’t want people to think I’m upset by it. I’m not. P***ed off yes.

“But more, I just want people to know that any photos you see of me in hospital, looking sad or with tubes sticking out of me are 100% fake – AI generated.”

Following her recent procedure, Jane told her followers she was feeling “remarkably fine” and in good spirits.

She assured people she wold update them once she had the medical all clear.

“Then 8-10 days wait for confirmation that they’ve got it all & the margins are clear (small % chance of more surgery if not),” Jane wrote.

She has been resting up at home with the support of cat Pickles.

When Jane announced her diagnosis, Jane asked fans not to “panic” and said her prognosis was “excellent”.

She has been with comedian Ricky for more than 40 years after meeting back in 1982.

Jane is the author of 14 bestselling books and has penned titles such as Getting Rid of Matthew, Got You Back, Queen Bee, Worst Idea Ever, and Faking Friends. 

THEY were once ‘like brothers’, touring the world together and dealing with global superstardom after being propelled into the spotlight aged just 16.

But now in their early 30s, Niall Horan and Harry Styles are “worlds apart” and living “vastly different lives”. Here, an insider tells us why the relationship has soured between the pair, and how the rest of One Direction are keeping their distance.

Fans first noticed cracks between the pair last month when Niall, 32, made barbed remarks about the cost of fame on an American podcast just days after Harry, also 32, said he found his superstardom “deeply isolating”.

Speaking on the Zach Sang show earlier this month, Niall cheerfully revealed how delighted he is to be living a “completely normal life” in London, travelling on the tube, walking his dog and going for beers with his mates in local boozers.

When asked if he minds being stopped by fans, the Irish singer remarked: “You cannot have your f***ing cake and eat it”.

Fans were quick to point out that the comment came shortly after Harry spoke about the cost of superstardom – and wondered if it was a dig in his direction.

Speaking to Runners’ World magazine for their May cover, Harry said that he found fame ‘deeply isolating’ and felt the need to withdraw from public life to protect himself.

As part of this, he moved to Italy, because it allows him to ‘live a quiet life’ and ‘reset’.

But the differing attitudes toward fame are part of reason why the pair are no longer close.

A source tells us: “The boys used to be like brothers, they were the best of friends and used to joke about what life would be like when they were old men and still hanging out together.

“Now they are about a million miles from that. They have gone their separate ways and are all living such different lives. 

“Niall is a real homebody; he loves being at their place in London with Mia and the dog, or with his family in Ireland. He’s not a kid anymore; he feels settled now, while Harry still jets all over the world and never seems to stay in one place for long.

“The pair of them hardly have anything in common now, and while Niall would never come straight out and criticise Harry, some things he says definitely make Niall’s eyes roll.”

While the Irish singer songwriter, who is worth £52 million, is completely at ease with being recognised when he’s out and about, scared Styles recently admitted all the unwanted attention left him wanting to become a recluse.

Speaking to US media, Niall claims he can live carefree in London. He says his life with long-term girlfriend Amelia Woolley – known as Mia – is not built around his work schedule and fame.

He added that he’s never minded being mobbed by One Direction’s devoted army of fans: “I don’t ever want it to be like, poor me. That was just the way it was – there were a lot of people around. 

“I just get out and do it, and people are going to come up to you and say hello. And that’s fine. 

“I used to be nearly afraid of that. I love it now. I basically live a completely normal life, really, apart from the fact that if I walk in somewhere, someone’s going to come up and say hello, that’s fine. 

“I walk the dog every day and go on the tube and go into town and go for beers. There’s nothing special.

“It’s a great thing. It’s something that when you were younger, you yearned for.

“We all want that normalcy in effect. You cannot have your f****ing cake and eat it, though, either. 

“I want to be out there doing my thing and getting up on stage. It’s the best f***ing thing in the world.”

This latest spat between the pop legends comes after we revealed Zayn Malik punched Louis Tomlinson in the face during a vicious row, cutting his head and leaving him concussed.

The former pals’ bruising clash came as they filmed a three-part road trip for a nostalgic Netflix documentary about the band, which has since been scrapped.

It emerged that Zayn had made a scathing remark about Louis’ mum, Johannah Deakin, who died of leukaemia in 2016.

Despite the frenzy of worldwide adulation, Niall says that down-to-earth fashion buyer Mia, 28, from Birmingham, keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground.

He went on: “You can sit at home and go like, it’s hard for me to do these things.

“But at times, it being uncomfortable or something can be a reason why you don’t do them. Or you can choose for that to not be a reason and you can do them anyway.

“When you shut out a lot of the things that are assumed can be negative, you also just unconsciously shut out a ton of positive things.

“We live a completely normal life outside of this.

“It’s like someone’s pressed pause on a stopwatch, and then when it clicked back in, I was just this different person. It’s really cool. It happened gradually, but when I think about it in hindsight, it felt like just night and day.

I basically live a completely normal life, if someone’s going to come up and say hello, that’s fine

Niall Horan

“My life just went from being all encompassing to having this good divide.

“I love it. I like having the balance. It’s pretty cool.

“I’ve gotten very good at. When I’m at home, I’m completely at home. I’m not doing anything. I just want to be at home.

“But I like going to work now and then being at home, I like it that way.

“Hopefully, I can keep doing that because it’s a nice little balance I’ve got going on. And it takes time to get to that.

“Amelia’s got her own life. She’s been doing her thing, and everything can’t be just surrounding me.

“It’s already weird enough that she used to fly to Amsterdam to come in on a five o’clock flight on a Friday. It can’t be like that all the time. 

“Bringing her into that is a really cool thing. And she feels that sense of pride and looks at the fans and sees the way they’re thinking and things like that. 

“It’s such a cool thing for her if I play her a song; she’s never had that before. It’s not like people were coming home in the evening from work and going, ‘Hey, I wrote you a song today.’

“That’s a new thing for her, too. The whole thing is a shock to the system, but our life is just not all about that.”

Niall previously dated Hailee Steinfeld and Ellie Goulding – resulting in Ed Sheeran writing the hit track Don’t about an apparent love triangle between the trio.

But Harry, who rented a mansion outside Rome and ran marathons using pseudonyms, feels very differently.

He explained recently: “A large part of the last couple of years has just been about, honestly, learning to like myself away from having so much of my value baked into whether other people are enjoying me or not.

“Learning that fears and feelings aren’t facts, and you can have a feeling about yourself and taking the time to be able to see what that is and see where that comes from.”