UEA literary festival line-up unveiled

From EDP24:

The poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and Booker prize nominee AS Byatt will be appearing at the University of East Anglia's literary festival this autumn.

Fans of Alexander McCall Smith and his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series will also be able to see him at the prestigious festival.

The Arthur Miller Centre International Literary Festival starts on Wednesday September 23 with novelist and historian Richard Flanagan. Carol Ann Duffy, who became the first female poet laureate this year, is speaking on Wednesday September 30. Theatre and film director Sir Richard Eyre will be at the UEA on Wednesday October 7. He has been artistic director of the Nottingham Playhouse and the National Theatre and directed films, including Iris and Notes on a Scandal.

Two nominees for this year's Man Booker prize are also appearing - Dame Antonia Byatt, a past prizewinner who is nominated this year for The Children's Book, and Irish novelist Colm Tóibín, who is nominated for Brooklyn. AS Byatt will be there on December 2 and Colm Tóibín on October 12.

Shirley Williams, a former cabinet minister under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan and the daughter of Vera Brittain, is speaking on November 23. Her books include God and Caesar: Personal Reflections on Politics and Religion, and an autobiography, Climbing the Bookshelves.

Alexander McCall Smith, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1948 and became professor of medical law at the University of Edinburgh, will be talking about his latest novel Corduroy Mansions, which was first published on the internet. He is also author of The Sunday Philosophy series, the 44 Scotland Street and Isobel Dalhousie series, and will be speaking on Tuesday November 17.

Spanish novelist and translator Javier Marias is appearing on Wednesday November 11.

Festival organiser Chris Bigsby said:

We are delighted with the varied and international line-up on offer at the literary festival this autumn. Whether people are interested in politics or poetry, fiction or film, there should be something for everyone. It is a testament to the literary and creative reputation of the University of East Anglia that we can once again host such a high-quality festival.

All events begin at 7pm in Lecture Theatre 1 at the UEA. Season tickets are £36 (£30 concessions) and individual tickets £6 (no concessions) from the UEA Box Office on 01603 508050.

by SARAH BREALEY

HOPE not hate, Norfolk recalls that Norwich is bidding to join Edinburgh, Iowa and Melbourne to become a UNESCO City of Literature. As well as worldwide kudos and the strengthening of the strong literary tradition of Norwich, the designation could also bring fresh financial advantages for the city.

As well as forming part of the celebration of modern Norfolk.