The important things.
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Culture
French author Philippe Jaenada won the 2026 Prix Goncourt for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel, Le Monde and Euronews reported on 3 November. Le Monde said the Académie Goncourt jury chose the novel by six votes to three over Sylvain Prudhomme’s De l’autre côté du lac. The Academy’s calendar lists 3 November for the 2026 prize announcement.
Culture
Japan presented its Order of Culture to eight recipients on Culture Day, including Nintendo game creator Shigeru Miyamoto, architect Toyo Ito, lighting designer Motoko Ishii and organic chemist Kenso Soai. The Ministry of Education’s list identifies the recipients and the award date; Japanese broadcaster FNN reported the Imperial Palace ceremony on 3 November. The Order recognizes contributions to Japanese culture.
Culture
Filipino comedian and television personality Gil Aducal Morales, known professionally as Ate Gay, has died at 55, his family announced on 1 November. GMA News and Philstar reported the family's announcement; neither gave a specific cause of death in its notice.
Culture
Horst Fascher, a founder and manager of Hamburg's Star-Club who brought the Beatles to the venue in their early years, died on 31 October at 90, his brother confirmed, German outlets n-tv and Focus reported. The club also booked performers including Chuck Berry, Ray Charles and Bill Haley.
Culture
Croatian singer Mate Mišo Kovač has died at 85, HRT and Jutarnji list reported on 31 October. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković issued an official condolence that day.
Culture
Cinco Anos, Quatro Meses, by Esteban Hoyos García and Juan Miguel Gelacio, won the best-fiction jury award at the 50th São Paulo International Film Festival. The winners were announced at the closing ceremony at Teatro Cultura Artística on 29 October.
Culture
The Académie française awarded its 2026 Grand Prix du roman to Sébastien Lapaque for Le Rappel des oiseaux on 29 October.
Culture
The New York Historical named documentary filmmaker Ken Burns the first winner of its David M. Rubenstein Prize for the Advancement of American History on 28 October. The award carries US$250,000.
Culture
Glynn Simmons, whose wrongful imprisonment lasted 48 years, died on 28 October. The Oklahoman confirmed his death through family and friends.
Culture
The 37th Praemium Imperiale awards ceremony took place in Tokyo on 28 October. The five laureates had been announced on 8 September.
Culture
Josh Hogan and Ned Beckley won four awards for Tales from Outer Suburbia at Australia’s Screen Music Awards on 28 October. APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers held the ceremony at Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall.
Culture
Barbara Barrie died at home in Manhattan on 28 October, aged 95. TVLine independently confirmed her death with a representative; Broadway.com also reported confirmation from her daughter through The New York Times.
Culture
Peter Medak, director of The Changeling, The Ruling Class and The Krays, has died at 88. TheWrap reported his family’s announcement on 28 October; Screen International reports that he died in Los Angeles.
Culture
Lorna Goodison has won the 2026 Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry for Dante’s Inferno. Her publisher confirmed the award on 28 October, following a Carib News report on 27 October.
Culture
Ruy Castro’s Trincheira tropical: a Segunda Guerra Mundial no Rio won Book of the Year at the 68th Jabuti Prize ceremony on 27 October at Sala São Paulo. The awards are organized by the Brazilian Book Chamber, CBL.
Culture
Donnie Iris, the Pittsburgh-area rock singer known for Ah! Leah! and Love Is Like a Rock, died on 26 October. He was 83.
Culture
Susan Saint James, known for McMillan & Wife and Kate & Allie, died on 26 October at 80, her representative confirmed to PEOPLE.
Culture
Agent Zachery McGinnis confirmed Walter Koenig’s death on 26 October. The actor, best known as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek, was 90.
Culture
M. R. Carey’s Once Was Willem won the novel category at the 2026 World Fantasy Awards in Oakland on 25 October. Clive Barker and Joyce Carol Oates received Life Achievement awards.
Culture
Peggy King, the singer and actor known for The George Gobel Show, died on 25 October at Saunders House in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. She was 96.
Culture
Eric Bauza, the Canadian actor who voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other Looney Tunes characters, died on 25 October at 46, his family announced.
Culture
Jamaican singer, songwriter and producer Derrick Harriott died at home in St Andrew on 24 October at 87, the Jamaica Gleaner and Jamaica Observer reported. A leading figure in ska, rocksteady and reggae, he recorded with the Jiving Juniors, released music through his Crystal label and produced work for other Jamaican artists.
Culture
Writer Christine Wunnicke received the 2026 Georg Büchner Prize at Darmstadt’s Staatstheater on 24 October. The Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung had announced her selection in July.
Culture
Sarah Howe, Nur Turkmani, Tara Bergin and Biff Smith won the 2026 Forward Prizes for Poetry, the Forward Arts Foundation announced in a post dated 24 October.
Culture
Beth Lew-Williams won the 2026 Cundill History Prize on 23 October for John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law. The McGill University-administered prize carries US$75,000.
Culture
Irish musician and producer Dónal Lunny died on 23 October at 79. ITV reported that a statement on his official page confirmed he died at St James’s Hospital in Dublin; Ireland’s Arts Council also confirmed his death.
Culture
Tetsuya Chiba, the artist behind boxing manga Ashita no Joe, died on 22 October at 87. His publisher announced the death on 27 October.
Culture
Pip Adam won the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction for Audition. The Ursula K. Le Guin Foundation announced the result on 21 October.
Culture
Country singer John Anderson died on 21 October, aged 71, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. His family confirmed his death in a statement reported by Guitar World.
Culture
Tom Skerritt, known for Alien, Top Gun and Picket Fences, died on 21 October at age 93. Variety confirmed his death with his publicist; his family attributed it to natural causes, according to ABC News Australia and wires.
Culture
The Swedish Academy awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature to Canadian writer Anne Carson on 8 October. The Academy said the award recognized her engagement with the classical tradition and creation of new forms for contemporary writing. This catch-up report keeps the original award date.