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Kate Summerscale |
The Cheltenham gold crop
THE biggest and the best? This year’s Cheltenham Festival of Literature certainly has the potential to hit both targets when it kicks off in October with more than 20 local writers and personalities among the 450 taking part.
They do not equal the top turns at Cheltenham, who will include Hollywood legend Tony Curtis, James Bond star Roger Moore, Julie Walters, Joanna Lumley, Antony Sher, Richard Attenborough, Patrick Stewart, Michael Parkinson and Harry Hill.
Nor the list of politicos, among them John Prescott, Tony Benn, Menzies Campbell, David Blunkett, Ann Widdecombe and Chris Patten, as well as authors Louis de Bernieres, Thomas Kenneally, Ruth Rendall, Jilly Cooper, Bernard Cornwell, Fay Weldon and Nobel prize-winner Toni Morrison.
But batting for the northern heights of London will be defeated London mayor Ken Livingstone, once a Camden councillor and parliamentary candidate for Hampstead, Esther Rantzen, Kate Summerscale, Katharine Whitehorn, AN Wilson, Linda Grant, Alexei Sayle, Tariq Ali, David Starkey, Julia Neuberger and poet laureate Andrew Motion.
“We are particularly excited about this year’s programme as it really is the widest-ranging ever,” says Sarah Smyth, artistic director of The Times-sponsored festival, whose general theme this year is The Family.
“This is a festival for everyone. We’ve got five former Man Booker prize-winners, people like Raymond Blanc and Rick Stein talking about food and John Barrowman from the science fiction TV shows Doctor Who and Torchwood. We want to make it accessible to everyone.”
There are some 350 events during the 10-day literary bonanza, which kicks off on October 10, with tickets ranging in price from £3 to £15 and events starting from 10am and running up to midnight.
There is also the exceptional Book It! festival for children and dozens of free events. The brochure can be downloaded from www.cheltenhamfestivals.com
Gerald Isaaman |
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