Upcoming events
Previous events
The Radium Girls – In Conversation with Kate Moore
New York Times bestselling author Kate Moore discusses and answers questions about The Radium Girls at Waterstones Covent Garden. Her award-winning book – recently selected for Emma Watson’s feminist book group – chronicles the true story of the American women from the First World War who were poisoned by their work and courageously fought for justice.
Time: 6:30-8pm
Waterstones, 9-13 Garrick Street, London WC2E 9AU
Irvine Welsh at the Huddersfield Literature Festival
One of the most influential novelists of his generation, Irvine Welsh, will be appearing at the University of Huddersfield on Sunday 3rd April as part of the 2016 Huddersfield Literature Festival. This is the first event of Welsh’s UK The Live Blade Tour for his long-awaited new novel The Blade Artist, which is published on April 7th by Jonathan Cape. The Blade Artist sees the dark past of Trainspotting character, Begbie, catch up with his reinvented present-day self. Welsh will appear in conversation discussing the novel and his career.
The author of ten novels, Welsh came to prominence with his debut Trainspotting (1993), which was successfully adapted for stage and screen. A film adaptation of Filth was released in 2013 and Porno (sequel to Trainspotting) will start filming this year, with the original cast and director Danny Boyle.
Irvine Welsh in conversation with Nick Ahad Diamond Jubilee Lecture Theatre, Business School, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, HD1 3DH
Sunday 3rd April 2:30pm
Tickets: £10 / £5 concessions Telephone 01484 430528
The Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award Readings 2016
Wednesday 20th April and Thursday 21st April 6pm-9:30pm
Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road
To celebrate the 2016 Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, the world’s richest and most prestigious prize for a single short story, Foyles Charing Cross Road is once again hosting two very special readings of the stories, on Wednesday 20 April and Thursday 21 April, courtesy of short story performance specialists WordTheatre.
A remarkable mix of award-winning novelists and international writers featuring on this year’s shortlist are:
“The Dacha” by Alix Christie
“The Human Phonograph” by Jonathan Tel
“The News of Her Death” by Petina Gappah
“The Phosphorescence” by Nicholas Ruddock
“Unbeschert” by Edith Pearlman
“What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?” By Colum McCann
The actors reading the stories on Wednesday 20 April are:
Gina Bellman (Leverage, Coupling) will read “The Dacha” by Alix Christie.
Tom Hollander (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Night Manager, The Jungle Book) will read “The Phosphorescence” by Nicholas Ruddock.
Juliet Stevenson (Bend It Like Beckham, Mona Lisa’s Smile) will read “Unbeschert” by Edith Pearlman.
The actors reading the stories on Thursday 21 April are:
Chipo Chung (Sunshine, Camelot, Fortitude) will read “The News of Her Death” by Petina Gappah.
Selina Lo (The Scorpion King 3, One Child) will read “The Human Phonograph” by Jonathan Tel.
David Soul (Starsky and Hutch, Magnum Force, Doctor Who) will read “What Time Is It Now, Where You Are?” By Colum McCann.
Tickets: £10/£8 (concessions). Ticket price includes a complimentary glass of wine.
Exclusive discounted tickets for Times+ members will go on sale at 11am on Friday 25th March. To book your tickets from this date please visit mytimesplus.co.uk
Colm Tóibín to talk ‘Literature of Loss’ at Charleston Festival in East Sussex
We are pleased to announce that Colm Tóibín will be appearing at Charleston festival in East Sussex to discuss his new novel in the context of ‘Literature of Loss’ with Claire Armitstead.
Friday 22th May, 2015 at Charleston Farmhouse, Charleston, Firle, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 6LL
6.00pm / £16
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Colm Tóibín’s new book, Nora Webster, is infused with the grief he suffered following the death of his father, though told through the perspective of a mother. The setting is his home town in Ireland at a time of political and personal turmoil. Many of the events in the novel are autobiographical, though filtered through fiction.
‘Sublime Fiction and Literary Influences’ with Colm Tóibín in Bath bookshop event
Join Colm Tóibín in an intimate venue for a talk about his new novel and non-fiction work about the American poet of the same name, On Elizabeth Bishop, at the iconic Topping & Company Booksellers in Bath.
Thursday 21st May 2015 at Topping and Company Booksellers, The Paragon, Bath, Somerset, BA1 5LS
7.30pm for 8.00pm start / £6-£7
Toibin will talk on his new novel, Nora Webster, and one of his greatest literary influences, Elizabeth Bishop. In his biography, On Elizabeth, he explores her experiences of loss and exile, drawing a compelling double portrait of both Bishop and Toibin himself.
No matter the subject, Toibin’s talks are always full of life and humour, and this is a chance to see him in both his guises as a writer and as a lover of literature.
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
Colm Tóibín to speak at Bristol’s Festival of Ideas
Colm Tóibín will talk about his new novel and non-fiction work about the American poet of the same name, On Elizabeth Bishop, at Bristol’s Festival of Ideas.
Thursday 21st May, 2015 at Watershed, 1 Canons Road, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5TX
12.30pm-1.30pm / £5-£6
Tóibín will talk about his career and writing, in particular his new non-fiction work On Elizabeth Bishop, an introduction to the work and life of one of his most important literary influences—the American poet Elizabeth Bishop, and his eighth novel Nora Webster, which dramatises the life of a woman and her family in a small town in Ireland in the late 1960s.
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
Colm Tóibín in conversation with Sarah Churchwell at Hay festival
This May Colm Tóibín will be appearing at Hay festival in the Brecon Beacons National Park to discuss poet Elizabeth Bishop and his new novel with Sarah Churchwell.
Sunday 24th May, 2015 at Llwyfan Cymru (Wales Stage), Hay-on-Wye HR3 5AD
11.30am / £7
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
Colm Tóibín at Cambridge Literary Festival
We are delighted to announce that Colm Tóibín will make a debut appearance at Cambridge Literary Festival at where he will discuss his recent novel.
Palmerston Room, St John’s College, St Johns Street, Cambridge, CB2 1TP
6:30 pm-7:30 pm
£9.00 / £12.00
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
Colm Tóibín at Flipside Festival, Suffolk
Colm Tóibín will appear at Flipside Festival at Britten Studio in Suffolk for Colm Tóibín: Launching Nora Webster, where he will talk about his new novel.
Saturday 4th October, 2014 at Britten Studio, Snape, Suffolk, IP17 1SP
1.30-2.45pm / £14
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
Colm Tóibín at Wimbledon BookFest
Colm Tóibín will appear at in a big tent on the common at Wimbledon BookFest, where he will talk about his new novel, Nora Webster in a discussion chaired by Jennifer Cox.
Sunday 5th October, 2014 at Wimbledon Common, London, SW19 5NR
6.45pm / £15
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
Colm Tóibín at Manchester Literature Festival Launch
Following his launch of his new novel Nora Webster, Colm Tóibín will appear at Manchester Literature Festival in conversation with Sebastian Barry.
Monday 6th October, 2014
Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama, Bridgeford Street, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL
6.30pm ~ £8/£6
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
Colm Tóibín: A response to the Liverpool Biennial exhibition
Colm Tóibín will offer a personal response to the Liverpool Biennial exhibition, which will be followed by a signing of his new novel, Nora Webster.
Tuesday 7th October, 2014
The Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool, L1 3BX
1.00pm-2.00pm / Free
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Colm Toíbín on the South Bank
Author of Brooklyn, Colm Toíbín comes to the Southbank Centre to talk about his new novel, Nora Webster.
Tuesday 7th October 2014
St Paul’s Roof Pavilion at Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX
7pm / £8
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
Colm Toíbín in conversation with Andrew Holgate at the Cheltenham Literature Festival
Author of Brooklyn, Colm Toíbín will appear in conversation with Sunday Times Literary Editor Andrew Holgate to discuss his writing and in particular his eighth novel, Nora Webster.
Wednesday 8th October 2014
The Studio, Imperial Square, Cheltenham, GL50 1QA
6.15-7.15pm / £8
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of six novels including The Blackwater Lightship and The Master, both of which were shorlisted for the Booker Prize, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Novel Award. The Testament of Mary was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also published two collections of short stories, Mothers and Sons and The Empty Family. He is currently Mellon Professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.
Nora Webster:
It is the late 1960’s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she emerges as a figure fiercely self-possessed but also of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
English PEN: Authors Dominique Eddé and Elif Shafak with Maureen Freely President of English PEN
Author Dominique Eddé will be in UK to promote her novel Kamal Jann (Seagull Books) which has won the prestigious English PEN Promotes award. She will be in conversation with author Elif Shafak and Maureen Freely, translator and President of English PEN at Waterstones Piccadilly, London on Wednesday 15 October at 7pm
Kamal Jann: In a world rife with deceit, the fortunes of the divided Jann family echo the conflicts tearing apart the Middle East, Syria in particular. Set in Damascus, New York, Beirut, Tel Aviv and Paris, Dominique Eddé’s gripping novel contains elements of a Greek tragedy – fratricide, strong women, alliances and misalliances of all hues, damaged lives and impossible loves. This is a decaying world undermined by decades of abuse and corruption, against which the Arab peoples rose in the spring of 2011…
English PEN: Dominique Eddé in conversation with translator Ros Schwartz
Dominique Eddé in conversation with translator Ros Schwartz at Birmingham Library on Thursday 16 October at 6pm
Library Of Birmingham – Bookbox, Lower Book Browse, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2ND FREE event
Dominique Eddé’s latest novel Kamal Jann, translated by Ros Schwartz, presents the story of the doomed Jann family as they plot against one another for revenge and power. Alliances, damaged lives, impossible loves, and deep betrayals unfold as the family relationships erode, echoing the conflicts that tear apart the countries around them in the Middle East. Kamal Jann has been hailed by the French critics as both universal and prophetic, a novel that is vital to our understanding of Syria and the Middle East.
Dominique will be in conversation with her translator Ros Schwartz who translated Kamal Jann from French into English. Ros Schwartz is an award winning translator, she has translated over 60 titles from French and is currently Chair of English PEN’s Writer’s in Translation committee.
Dominique Eddé is a Lebanese-born author, her previous novel Kite was longlisted for the US Best Translated Book Award in 2013. She currently lives in Turkey. Kamal Jann and Kite are published by Seagull.
English PEN: Kamal Jann Book Launch: Dominique Eddé Oxford Student PEN
Dominique Eddé in conversation with Dr Jane Hiddleston. This is an Oxford Student PEN event in Seminar room 3, St Anne’s College, Oxford on Friday 17 October at 4pm
Oxford Student PEN will host a book launch for Dominique Eddé’s Kamal Jann. This novel, recently translated into English by Ros Schwartz, presents the story of the doomed Jann family as they plot against one another for revenge and power. Alliances, damaged lives, impossible loves, and deep betrayals unfold as the family relationships erode, echoing the conflicts that tear apart the countries around them in the Middle East. Kamal Jann has been hailed by French critics as both universal and prophetic, a novel that is vital to our understanding of Syria and the Middle East. Reading and discussion with the author will be chaired by Dr Jane Hiddleston. It will be followed by a book signing.
Dominique Eddé is a Lebanese-born author, her previous novel Kite was longlisted for the US Best Translated Book Award in 2013. She currently lives in Turkey. Kamal Jann and Kite are published by Seagull.
Dr Jane Hiddleston is Associate Professor of French at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Exeter College. She has published widely on postcolonial theory and francophone literature, and her most recent book, Decolonising the Intellectual: Politics, Culture, and Humanism at the End of the French Empire, was published by Liverpool University Press in 2014.
Free event. Contact natasha.ryan@st-annes.ox.ac.uk for info
“See You Tomorrow” Tore Renberg at Rough Trade
Celebrate the launch of SEE YOU TOMORROW at ROUGH TRADE EAST LONDON
Tore Renberg will read from and discuss See You Tomorrow with special guests I WAS A KING playing live FREE EVENT
Tuesday, 12 August 2014 7pm Rough Trade East Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL
Supported by and organised in conjunction with the Norwegian Embassy in London
‘A majestic page-turner’ KARL OVE KNAUSGARD
Tore Renberg is a multi-award-winning author, literary critic and Norwegian TV personality. A student of philosophy and literature at the University of Bergen, where he met lifelong friend Karl Ove Knausgard, Tore achieved major success at the age of 23, with the short-story collection Sleeping Triangle. He followed this with the novel The Man Who Loved Yngve, which made into a successful feature film. Four further novels with the same protagonist went on to sell over 400,000 copies in Norway. In addition to his work as an essayist and novelist, Tore has played in several bands, and written for the screen and the theatre. His work has been translated into 15 languages. Combining Nordic social realism and Western popular culture, horror and hope, heavy-metal music and literary marvels, See You Tomorrow is a startlingly original, eerie and hilarious novel about friendship, crime, loneliness and tragic death.
I Was A King is led by singers and guitarists Frode Stromstad and Anne Lise Frokedal, whose united vocals are said to melt into one extra-terrestrial voice. I Was a King’s latest release, Isle of Yours, considered their strongest and most diverse album. The band was joined in the studio by drummer Bill Rieflin (R.E.M., Swans, Robyn Hitchcock) on a set of tunes that mix subtle experimentation and synth elements with classic, jangling guitar pop. On its journey through musical landscapes of quality indie pop I Was A King has evoked the enthusiasm of, and collaborated with, the likes of Norman Blake, Robyn Hitchcock and Sufjan Stevens. The band has released 4 albums since 2009, all critically acclaimed in Norway as well as in the US and UK. While perpetuating the legacy of icons like The Byrds, Big Star, Teenage Fanclub and The Beatles, they keep playing by their own rules on each release, combining music history with a modern perspective.
The Long Ride Home: Rupert Isaacson with William Fox Pitt Dorset
The Long Ride Home: An evening about horses healing autism hosted by William and Alice Fox Pitt.
7pm-7.30pm Horse Boy Method Demonstration with Rupert Isaacson
Founder of The Horse Boy Charity, Rupert Isaacson gives a practical demonstration of Horse Boy Method, how horses can help autism.
8pm-9pm The Long Ride Home
Hal Cazalet introduces Rupert Isaacson, author of the bestseller The Horse Boy, who will present his new book The Long Ride Home followed by in conversation with William Fox-Pitt.
The Barn, Hinton St Mary, DT1 1NA Tickets £15 info@foxpitteventing.co.uk
The Long Ride Home: Wimbledon Village Stables
Author of The Horse Boy and the newly released The Long Ride Home, Rupert Isaacson will be at The Cannizaro House Hotel, Wimbledon with Wimbledon Village Stables to launch his book and to give a practical introduction to The Horse Boy Method; how horses can help autism. Book signing, drinks and canapes. Tickets £20 admin@wvstables.com
Kenilworth Literary Festival
Dinah Jeffres
Dinah Jeffries
Dinah Jeffries will launch her debut novel at Waterstones, Cheltenham.
Diriye Osman
Reading and Signing at The Word Factory, Leicester.
Diriye Osman
Join Diriye at Wanstead Library from 7pm as he discusses his journey into writing and the critically acclaimed ‘Fairytales for Lost Children’
http://www2.redbridge.gov.uk/cms/news_and_events/events/2014/february/diriye_osman.aspx
Jewish Book Week: Lipika Pelham with Rachel Cooke ‘The Unlikely Settler’
Lipika Pelham, ‘The Unlikely Settler’ at Jewish Book Week, chaired by Rachel Cooke, 25th February 1pm, Kings Place, St Pancras Room Tickets
Lipika Pelham’s childhood in Bengal was haunted by political and physical divisions. Later in life, she experienced similar divisions in Jerusalem, where she lived with her English Jewish husband. In The Unlikely Settler she tells of everyday life in a society where sides are taken at every turn, and writes about married life affected by the reality of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In the tradition of classic memoirs such as Alexandra Fuller’s Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, this is a book that takes you deep into the heart of a place and a person. As Pelham lays bare the emotions and fallibilities of her marriage over eight years spent living in Jerusalem, she explores the conflict in the Middle East with inspiring subtlety and understanding.
Jewish Book Week: Gideon Lewis-Kraus with Gary Shteyngart and Naomi Alderman ‘A Sense of Direction’
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, ‘A Sense of Direction’ at Jewish Book Week, with Gary Shteyngart chaired by Naomi Alderman, 2nd March 5pm, Kings Place, Hall 2 Tickets
“If David Foster Wallace had written Eat, Pray, Love it might have come close to approximating the adventures of Gideon Lewis-Kraus”, wrote Gary Shteyngart on his friend’s debut novel, A Sense of Direction. JBW brings the two writers together to discuss an incredible series of pilgrimages.
Inspired by his rabbi father’s late coming out as a gay man, Lewis-Kraus is determined to experience all that he can before settling down. It is a transformative journey, for Lewis-Kraus and his readers alike.
Colm Toibin: Man Booker Prize 2013 Shortlist Cheltenham
Man Booker Prize Literary Director Ion Trewin chairs an event at Cheltenham Literature Festival featuring authors shortlisted for this year’s Man Booker Prize. Details and tickets: CheltenhamFestival
Colm Toibin: Man Booker Prize 2013 Readings at Southbank
An evening of readings from the books written by the six short-listed authors for Man Booker Prize 2013 chaired by journalist and author Mark Lawson. Details and tickets: SouthbankCentre
Stories We Tell Ourselves: Small Wonder Festival
Deborah Levy & Sarah Hall: Manchester Literature Festival
How do we distinguish between love and desire? How do relationships shape and change us? And can a landscape be as sensual and desirable as a body? These are some of the themes at the heart of Deborah Levy and Sarah Hall’s recent, beautifully crafted short story collections, Black Vodka and The Beautiful Indifference. Manchester Literature Festival 17th Oct 7.30pm
Save the Story Launch Ali Smith & Jonathan Coe
Ali Smith and Jonathan Coe invite you to join them in launching ‘Save the Story’ at Daunt Marylebone
Saturday, 26th of October at 10:30am, at Daunt Books Marylebone High Street. A family event
Jonathan Coe and Ali Smith will be here to talk about their wonderful retellings for children of the classic tales Antigone and Gulliver.
Places limited, reserve free tickets at orders@dauntbooks.co.uk or call 02072242295
Mr Gig Launch at Rough Trade East
Come down to Rough Trade East for an evening of chat and questions with music journalist Nige Tassell about his new book ‘Mr Gig’, which charts his round-Britain search for the soul of live music. Plus a few numbers from Fence Collective lynchpin The Pictish Trail. And other possible shenanigans… FREE no ticket needed. 7pm – 8.30pm
Deborah Levy at 5×15
5x15stories: 5 speakers 15 minutes each at Tabernacle Notting Hill, 7pm. Deborah Levy will talk on the subject of her recent book, ‘Things I Don’t Want to Know’, a response to Orwell’s ‘Why I Write’