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**** SOLD OUT **** 2/8 - River Readings -
Simon Williams and Friends - £8
11.00/13.30
The Hibernia
One of the highlights of last year’s
festival was the River Readings. Treat
yourself to a lazy hour cruising along
the Thames listening to an eclectic mix
of literature and poetry – poignant
and amusing – read by a group of
actors led by Simon Williams. The
stage and film star lives just outside
Henley and his wonderfully distinctive
voice will delight listeners as the
Hibernia makes its way along the
river, with coffee and wine available.
Simon Williams and his fellow actors,
directed by the irrepressible Nansi
Diamond, will bring a fabulous
selection of writing
to life.
**** SOLD OUT **** 3 - Katharine Whitehorn & Lesley Garner -
A Life in Words - £7
11.30
Phyllis Court
Katharine Whitehorn is one of Britain’s most distinguished columnists. She wrote for
The Observer for almost 40 years and, in her revelatory autobiography, Selective Memory,
shares the secrets of her life. Here she’s appearing with Daily Telegraph columnist and
writer, Lesley Garner, whose insights into life, love and the practicalities of everyday
existence have been gathered together in a brilliant series of books, Everything I’ve Ever
Learned … Come and listen to Whitehorn and Garner discuss love, life, marriage and
the tricky business of nailing existence on the page.
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**** SOLD OUT **** 6 - Santa Montefiore &
Celia Walden-
Literary Lunch - £35
- PLEASE CALL BOX OFFICE TO BOOK TICKETS 01491 414 150
13.00
Phyllis Court
Santa Montefiore’s novels sweep us
into a fabulous world of brooding
heroes, epic heroines and tempestuous
events. Drawing on her knowledge of
South America, her childhood love
of stories and her pleasure in a really
good read. Celia Walden is a writer
and interviewer for The Daily Telegraph,
having previously worked at The Mail
on Sunday. She writes a montly column
for GQ magazine and Glamour
and regularly appears on national
television. Her first novel, Harm’s
Way, was published by Bloomsbury
this summer. Come, enjoy a delicious
two course lunch in stimulating
company and hear a prolific and a first
time novelist discuss their art.
7 - Alexander Norman -
The Driving Force of the Dalai Lama - £5
15.00
Chantry House
Spiritual leader, head of the Tibetan
government-in-exile, Buddhist
monk and China’s Public Enemy
No. 1, Tenzin Gyatzo the 14th Dalai
Lama has retained his authority, his
humanity and his joy for almost 60
years. Now, with Chinese pressure
mounting and growing unrest within
Tibet, the Dalai Lama’s role has never
been under such intense scrutiny.
Former army officer Alexander
Norman has known Gyatzo for 20
years; Holder of the White Lotus, in
which he retraces the roots of the
Dalai Lama’s spiritual heritage, has
had strong reviews. Join us for an
insightful event.
**** SOLD OUT **** 10 - Michael Palin -
World of Words - £9
15.00
Kenton Theatre
Michael Palin’s charm and curiosity have guided him and millions of TV viewers to
almost every corner of the globe, from a past marked by his Monty Python work into a
whole new audience. From the wilds of Alaska to the crocodiles of Australia, he has
become the traveller most trusted by the British public to take them to all the places
they only dream of visiting. The Festival is delighted to offer a rare opportunity to
hear this national treasure speak about his travels, his writing - and possibly even the
asteroid named after him. Book early for a guaranteed sell-out.
11 - Ruth Waterman -
The Power of Music - £6
15.30
Phyllis Court
Concert violinist Ruth Waterman
worked as guest conductor with the
Mostar Sinfonietta, straight after the
war in Bosnia ended. Her account
When Swan Lake Comes to Sarajevo
provides an unique insight into a
country desperately in need of healing
- and the ways in which music could
do that. “Music goes anywhere, but
here it was in its element, touching
raw emotion, going straight to the
heart.” Hear her story and listen to
her play.
13 - Ton up Toad - Celebrating 100 years of Wind in the Willows - £3
16.30
River & Rowing Museum: Thames Room
A hundred years after the publication
of Kenneth Grahame’s classic Wind
in the Willows, performance group A
Word in Edgeways presents its own
distinctive take on the novel. All
the characters that have entertained
generations of children and adults
alike will be there – Toad, Ratty, Mole
and Badger – in a staging alongside
the river that inspired Grahame. There
will be four performances for school
groups and a fifth at 4.30pm to enable
parents to enjoy the show with their
children.
There will also be four performances for school groups at 9.30, 11.00, 12.30 and 14.00.
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Poetry at Hot Gossip - Ian Florance & Alison Brumfitt - Free
18.00 & 19.30
Hot Gossip Coffeehouse
Listen, engage and enjoy the poetry
of others in an intimate setting. New
this year are three magical evenings
of poetry. Local poet Ian Florance
has spent the last three years writing
a novel in verse in which George
Orwell and John Ruskin appear and
Henley is destroyed. Alison Brumfitt
has performed her unique, insightful
and humerous brand of performance
poetry around the country. Tap
into this rich vein of verse which is
often more vital than the smart and
knowing poetry which dominates the
major presses.
There is a £5 refundable fee to reserve tickets through
the Box Office or at Hot Gossip.
14 - Roy Hattersley -
Britain Between the Wars - £7
19.00
Kenton Theatre
The two decades between the First and Second World War were a time of turmoil.
Europe’s progress was overshadowed by the gathering strength of Hitler and Stalin.
Here in Britain, we remained as preoccupied with Wallace Simpson and the
Abdication Crisis as we were with Appeasement and the disintegration of the British
Empire. But there were good moments too: the foundation of the BBC, the ‘Chariots
of Fire’ Olympics, plus a great literary and cultural renaissance. In Borrowed Time,
former Labour Party deputy leader Roy Hattersley casts a thoughtful eye over the
tumultuous events of those years and reflects on the lessons of the period. Come
and hear a consummate politician and raconteur.
15 - Hugh Johnson -
A Vintage Performance - £6
19.00
River & Rowing Museum: Thames Room
Hugh Johnson is the world’s best-selling writer on wine, notching up nearly 15
million book sales and profoundly influencing our national tastes. He has worked
hard to take the snobbery out of wine tasting. Hugely praised for his clarity, his
passion and his attempts to demystify the often daunting world of viniculture, he
is THE expert on the subject. Talking to him will be one of Europe’s leading wine
merchants, Tony Laithwaite, who started his own wine business in the late sixties
and has developed his youthful obsession into a life’s work. Book now for a fabulous
opportunity to hear Johnson share his tips and knowledge on the world of wine.
Sir Peter O'Sullevan CBE -
Sporting Dinner with - £45 - PLEASE CALL BOX OFFICE TO BOOK TICKETS
19.30
The Leander Club
Sir Peter O’Sullevan is an iconic sports commentator. For half a century the
honeyed tones of the man widely known as “The Voice of Racing” made him
the most imitated commentator of all, and provided the indelible soundtrack
for racing’s collective memory as he called home all the greatest horses – Arkle,
Red Rum and Desert Orchid over jumps, Sea-Bird, Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Brigadier
Gerard and Mill Reef on the Flat – and all the greatest jockeys – Lester Piggott,
Gordon Richards, Scobie Breasley, Fred Winter, Pat Eddery, Frankie Dettori. But
his influence on the sport has reached far beyond the commentaries. Year after
year he was the best-informed racing journalist of the lot, with his Daily Express
column providing essential reading for any serious punter and his own canny
investments becoming the stuff of betting legend. As a racehorse owner he waited
patiently for success, then enjoyed big-race successes with top sprinter Be Friendly
in the 1960s and Triumph Hurdle winner Attivo in the 1970s. For decades, he
has been a tireless supporter of equine and animal welfare charities, with the Sir
Peter O’Sullevan Trust, set up as he retired from BBC commentary in 1997, having
raised over £2 million.
Now, racing’s most famous voice comes to the world’s most famous rowing club.
Join O’Sullevan for a spectacular evening at one of Henley’s most prestigious
locations.
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