As our city’s celebration of words returns, we round up some programme highlights
Causing a frisson of excitement for the booklovers of the city, the programme of the next instalment of the much-loved Cambridge Literary Festival has now been released and booking is open. Running 23-25 November at venues including the Old Divinity School and the Palmerstone Room, the organisers have once again pulled in a stellar line up of speakers, ranging from comedians, cooks and historians to scientists, journalists and of course, some of the top fiction writers in the game.
Kicking things off with a preview event on 17 October is this year’s MAN Booker Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk, who’ll be taking to the stage to discuss the prize-winning Flights and her latest novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, as well as sharing what motivates and informs her writing. Join Monty Python star Eric Idle for a chinwag about his ‘sortabiography’ Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, on 23 October, in which he tells all about his life, including plenty of juicy behind the scenes stories. The festival proper begins on the 23 November with Graham Norton, who’s been quietly carving out a parallel career as an up-and-coming literary star. Join him at The Babbage to hear about his new novel Keeper, an absorbing tale of family and ill-fated loves.
Saturday 24 November serves up a busy day at the festival, with visits from ‘Queen of Shops’ Mary Portas, science boff comedian Robin Ince and Jonathan Coe, the acclaimed author of Middle England and What a Carve Up! There’s politics aplenty on the Saturday as well, with the always-entertaining Steve Bell discussing the rise of Corbyn; Will Hutton and Andrew Adonis setting out a bold plan to transform Britain and fight for Europe, and the ever popular State of the Nation debate, which this time will ponder ‘The Condition of England’ in our tumultuous times.
Sunday yields another varied crop, featuring big names including wine aficionado Oz Clarke, wellness guru Ella Mills, quip queen Jo Brand and cycling superstar Sir Bradley Wiggins. Local author Sophie Hannah’s ‘murder mystery musical’ The Generalist is sure to delight lovers of crime fiction, while Cathy Norman’s ‘Bloody Brilliant Women’ shines a light on remarkable females who changed the course of history.
For the full programme, visit cambridgeliteraryfestival.com
