 |
 |
|||
| HOME | GALLERY | PROGRAMME | VENUES | SPONSORS | EAT & SLEEP | NEWS | CONTACTS | TICKETS | ||||
 |
||||
Thursday 1st | Friday 2nd | Saturday 3rd | Sunday 4th | Monday 5th
19. Sir Alistair Horne The Odd Couple: Kissinger & Nixon River & Rowing Museum: Thames Room 10.00 £5 Who really ran America during the Watergate affair? In his gripping account of the year that shook America, Oxford historian Sir Alistair Horne examines the bond between Henry Kissinger, the powerful Secretary of State, and Nixon, his increasingly challenged President. Horne’s unparalleled access to the subject of his book, Kissinger: 1973, The Crucial Year, gave him unique insight into this turbulent time. Find out about the events that shaped our age – the end of war in Vietnam, détente with Russia, the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East, the Arab oil embargo, Watergate, and the dethroning of the President – and the messages they have for a world emerging from another year of crisis. Alistair Horne will be interviewed by Stephen Robinson.
20. Alain de Botton Why We Need Work Town Hall 10.30 £5 For a subject that takes up most of our waking hours, surprisingly little is written about world of work, says philosopher Alain de Botton. He sets out to change that in his witty and thought-provoking book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, where, with contagious enthusiasm, he introduces us to the worlds of biscuit-making, fishing and rocket science in all their strange beauty. In the process he examines why we work, what work means to us, and the bizarre rituals we adopt in pursuit of it. Prepare to be informed and entertained, but beware: this talk could change your life.
24 & 30. River Readings Simon Williams & Friends with Duncan Forbes 11.00, boarding from 10.30 SOLD OUT Jeremy Child & Friends with Duncan Forbes 13.00, boarding from 12.30 SOLD OUT £9 Step aboard the Hibernia for a river-borne reading led by actor Simon Williams. Enjoy an hour of essays, poetry, and extracts from novels old and new, frivolous and sad, as you glide along the river that inspired inspired some of our greatest writers. Welcome a special guest on this cruise, prize-winning poet Duncan Forbes, whose striking imagery reflects his other vocation as a painter (his work is displayed at the Henley Exhibition Centre). Here’s your chance to hear the wise and witty poems from his new collection, Lifelines - a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. Coffee, served half-an-hour before departure, is included in the price.
28. Michael Winner SOLD OUT A Life in Movies & Other Places Kenton Theatre 12.00 £7 Bon viveur, film director, and scourge of rip-off restaurants, Michael Winner has an endless talent to outrage and amuse. In his colourful autobiography, Winner Takes All, he reveals the contradictions that make up Winner’s World - the shy schoolboy who mingled with celebs for a gossip column at just 14, the lover of fine food who wrote The Fat Pig Diet, and the man who makes chefs tremble but whose catch-phrase is ‘Calm down, dear.’ Meet them all in one inimitable personality at this must-see event. Sponsored by The Lamb at Satwell
27. Chris Mullin MP A View From The Foothills
Town Hall 12.00 £5 Witty, incisive and highly entertaining, Chris Mullin’s recently published and widely acclaimed diaries describe an unusual political career. To the apoplexy of the Labour whips, he was for a time the only person to have been appointed to Government despite having voted against the Iraq war. Through his career he has occupied several vantage points. He twice served as a chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee and was a minister in three departments – Environment, International Development and the Foreign Office. With an eye for detail and a keen sense of the ridiculous, his diaries, the most wickedly indiscreet and elegant political memoirs since Alan Clark, are an irreverent snapshot of political life in the early 21st century.
32. Francis Wheen Loon Pants and Paranoia: the 70s Revisited Town Hall 13.30 £5 A stalwart of Private Eye and BBC’s News Quiz, satirist Francis Wheen is renowned for his sense of the absurd and needle-sharp wit. Both were honed in the seventies, when the young Wheen joined the counter-culture at exactly the wrong time. In place of peace n’ love, he found a society beset by strikes and energy shortages, in fear of the next terrorist bomb. With brilliant aplomb, he teases out the parallels with today, showing what the seventies meant then, and now. A witty, perceptive, and hilarious speaker Wheen is the master of acerbic one-liners. Francis Wheen will be interviewed by Jim White. Sponsored by HW Fisher
33. Tony Parsons What Men Really Want
Kenton Theatre 13.30 £6 The master of the bittersweet love story, Tony Parsons is known for his wry and tender treatment of modern marriage. Longing and regret are two of his favourite themes and in his new novel, Starting Over, he looks at what might happen if we really could turn the clock back. Receiving the heart of 19-year-old gives George Bailey the chance to live his life again. But is youth with all its febrile energy everything it’s cracked up to be or does age have its compensations too? Join the queue to hear Parsons talk about life’s issues - sex, affairs, and the stand-off between men and women - and listen to a reading from his latest book. Tony Parsons will be interviewed by Philippa Kennedy. Sponsored by BookRabbit.com
31. Conn Iggulden The Making of Heroes
River & Rowing Museum: Thames Room 13.30 £5 What gives one person the courage to risk their life for their beliefs while the rest of us hang back and look down at our shoes? In this inspirational hour, Conn Iggulden, co-author of The Dangerous Book of Heroes, relates tales of heroism and adventure. Along with accounts of derring-do by soldiers and explorers, you’ll hear stories of quiet self-sacrifice from ordinary people who were caught up in events but rose spectacularly above them. From Hereward the Wake to Lisa Potts, who rescued the children in her care from a machete attack, this stirring session with the author of The Dangerous Book for Boys is perfect for all the family - yes, girls too. Sponsored by Joules Clothing
35. Miranda Carter The Royals Who Went to War
King’s Arms Barn 14.30 £5 A family fall-out is usually a private disaster but the rift between cousins Kaiser Wilhelm and George V in 1914 shook the world. When three years later, George declined to give refuge to his cousin-by-marriage Tsar Nicholas of Russia, the family ties that once bound Europe were finally severed. Drawing on their letters, diaries, and dinner-table conversation, award-winning biographer Miranda Carter’s engaging portrait, The Three Emperors, brings egotistical Wilhelm, stubborn ‘Nicky’, and dutiful George dramatically to life. An wonderful account of the ultimate dysfunctional family.
37. Sir Max Hastings SOLD OUT Churchill Unveiled Kenton Theatre 15.00 £6 Churchill was the greatest war leader Britain has ever had, cajoling a fighting spirit from a country facing almost certain defeat. But as director of the war machine, his skills were more questionable, says distinguished military historian and former Daily Telegraph editor Max Hastings. Through the accounts of soldiers, civilians and journalists, he reveals the events and misunderstandings that provoked calls for Churchill’s resignation long before VE Day. Marking the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of war, Hastings’ book, Finest Years - Churchill as Warlord 1940-45, is an affectionate but unsparing appraisal of this giant of our age. A masterly analysis of how Churchill won – and almost lost – the war. Sponsored by Centurion Public Relations
21. Lionel Shriver SOLD OUT Birth of a Bestseller Town Hall 15.00 £5 Lionel Shriver found herself famous at 48, when she won the Orange Prize for her astounding tour de force about a school shooting, We need to talk about Kevin. A word of mouth sensation, it went on to sell more than 750,000 copies in the UK alone. Since then, her lucid style and unflinching emotional honesty have made her one of the most admired novelists of our time. To coincide with the reissue of five of her early novels novels (including A Perfectly Good Family, which she reads from today) she talks about her lean years as a new writer, how her personal life informs her books, and why she changed her name from Margaret Ann. A rare opportunity to listen to one of our most inspiring writers. Lionel Shriver will be interviewed by writer Paul Bryers.
36. Julia Jones & Carmen Callil The Mystery of Margery Allingham King’s Arms Barn 16.00 £5 Along with Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers, Margery Allingham was one of the queens of crime fiction, but today she and her hero, Albert Campion, are virtually forgotten by all but their keenest fans. Among these are Julia Jones, author of the acclaimed biography The Adventures of Margery Allingham, and Carmen Callil, the founder of Virago, who introduces this event. Vivacious, stylish and witty, Allingham’s novels are a delight that too many have yet to discover. This hour will leave you rushing to find out more about the writer, her world, and a silly ass detective as sharp as Sherlock Holmes.
44. Penny Smith with Anna Pasternak You Couldn’t Make It Up
River & Rowing Museum: Thames Room 16.30 £5 GMTV newsreader Penny Smith’s heroine, the gutsy Katie Fisher, is in trouble. In a desperate attempt to rescue her career, she signed up for a celebrity reality show and now she’s at the mercy of producers determined to get the result they want. No one is better placed to reveal what TV would rather keep under wraps than Penny, who has written two novels about the cut-throat world she knows so well. With her is journalist and novelist, Anna Pasternak, whose own romantic misadventures made it into print. In an hour fizzing with gossip, revelation, and fun, they talk about what it’s like to be part of the media machine while keeping a toe-hold in normality. Sponsored by HW Fisher
43. Tristram Hunt The First Champagne Socialist
Town Hall 16.30 £5 Historian Tristram Hunt is a regular on TV and in newspaper columns, and with good reason. His insightful books on urban history are crammed with dramatic moments and colourful characters that make the past come alive. Friedrich Engels, the subject of his new book The Frock-Coated Communist is one such; a fox-hunting gentleman who championed the working class and a bon viveur who bankrolled Karl Marx and co-founded communism. A fascinating analysis of the man and the friendship that changed the world. Sponsored by Pink Saucer Solutions
42. Charley Boorman SOLD OUT To The End Of The Earth Kenton Theatre 16.30 £5 Be among the first to hear about the iconic biker’s brand-new adventure from the man himself. His new book and subject of a prime-time BBC show, Right to the Edge: By Any Means, shows Charley at his breath-taking best. Taking in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and Japan, he travels the world’s most exotic countries by quad bike, hovercraft, scooter, canoe, and of course motorbike, and tests his endurance to the limit. Packed with adventure, and written with Charley’s trademark humour and enthusiasm, this event is guaranteed to delight and entertain. Charley Boorman will be interviewed by Charles Starmer-Smith, travel writer for The Daily Telegraph. Sponsored by Carole Nash Insurance
41. Alec Russell &Tim Ecott SOLD OUT Inside the Rainbow Nation
King’s Arms Barn 17.30 £5 South Africa inspires deep passions in all who have been touched by its raw beauty. Among them are writers Alec Russell and Tim Ecott, who have two very different perspectives on the country close to their hearts. Russell, World News Editor of the Financial Times, was based there for many years and has his finger on the pulse of African affairs. His gripping portrait of the post-apartheid era, After Mandela, the Battle for the Soul of South Africa, is an eloquent account of a country in flux. Tim Ecott’s Stealing Water is a personal view of his childhood in the badlands of Johannesburg, describing his crazy upbringing among prostitutes and scoundrels with deadpan humour. An unmissable event for everyone who knows, loves, and sometimes despairs about Africa, or has yet to discover this country of the sun. Tim Ecott and Alec Russeul will be interviewed by Stephen Robinson.
45. Joss Ackland A Love Story Kenton Theatre 18.00 £7 In his long career, distinguished actor Joss Ackland has been a tea planter, a director of the Mermaid Theatre, and star of more than 60 films. Throughout it all, there was one constant: his marriage to his wife Rosemary, who died of motor neurone disease in 2002. In her last illness, she continued to keep the diary she had written all her life, and Joss asked her permission to publish it; his deeply moving book, My Better Half and Me, is the result. Here he talks about a remarkable romance that lasted for half a century. Despite a constant whirl of tours, the two rarely spent a night apart, and in troubled times, were each other’s rock. Candid and moving, this beautiful memoir from one of our greatest actors is not to be missed. Sponsored by the Regal Picturehouse
47. Poetry at Hot Gossip SOLD OUT The Free Range Poets of Barn Galleries
Hot Gossip Coffeehouse 19.00 £5 Round off the day with a drink as you listen to a sparkling selection of new poetry by the Free Range Poets of Barn Galleries in Remenham. The seven, led by Bridget Fraser, Director of Artspace, have very different voices but all have one thing in common – they love writing poetry and want to share it with you. Book now; you’ll be moved, amused, and even inspired to join one of their monthly poetry workshops.
48. Irvine Welsh Trainspotting: the Prequel Kenton Theatre 20.00 £7 Irvine Welsh returns to Henley with what is certain to be a high-octane appearance to introduce his up-coming novel, Skagboys, which ends where Trainspotting started. ‘It’s about daft young guys just out for the buzz on drugs and how their attitudes start to change as they become more defined by the drug,’ says Welsh. Along with revelations about the early life of Renton and co will be stories of sex and football from Welsh’s new short story collection, Reheated Cabbage, told with all his dark wit and unerring ear for the vernacular. A rare and exciting opportunity to meet one of the world’s most original writers. Sponsored by BookRabbit.com
Writers’ Workshops Write it, sell it, spend it: The Complete Guide to Novel-writing at the King’s Arms Barn between 10.00-12.30 £5 each, including refreshments from 12.15 - 13.00 Sponsored by HW Fisher
17. Workshop 1 - From Thought To Finish 10.00-10.45
‘The day after my eighth birthday, my father told me ...’ Ending that sentence is bound to get your creative juices flowing, says novelist Louise Doughty. In this 45-minute session, she discusses some of techniques in her inspiring guide for writers, A Novel in a Year, to help focus your imagination, develop your characters, and create a convincing plot.
23. Workshop 2 - Successful Self-Publishing 10.45-11.30
Anxious to avoid publishers’ rejection letters, writers are increasingly opting for self-publishing. Here Jill Dudley, author the travel book Ye Gods and Eileen Dickson, member of creative writing co-op Jeeve Publishing, explain why they took this route.
25. Workshop 3 - Living On Your Wits 11.30-12.15 How do you make money out of publishing? Julie Shorter, who published her Henley-based novel Cox and Shoppers last year, explains how the Arts Council can help while HW Fisher, who specialise in financial advice for writers, show how to maximise your profits and minimise your tax.
18. Poetry Workshop Becoming a Poet with Joe Butler 10.30 £18 River & Rowing Museum: Launch Room
Poet and blacksmith Joe Butler’s latest collection, ‘Hearthstone’, has all the strength and grace of his craft. In this practical half-day workshop, Writing to Sustain, he examines how we can produce work that satisfies our creativity and honours the fragile planet we all share. Sure to inspire, it is suitable for writers of all abilities.
CHILDREN'S EVENTS
Come to the River & Rowing Museum and enjoy a day of magical wordplay in story and rhyme. Watch enchanting puppet theatre, listen to tales of adventure and imagination, join our writing and cartoon workshops and sing along with an alien! Accompanying adults (one per family) and under-twos are free.
26 & 38. One Moment In Time Puppet Theatre: The Bird Book
River & Rowing Museum: Thames Room 11.30; 15.00 £4 This airborne adventure featuring beautifully crafted puppets, dynamic storytelling and live music brings to life the migration of the osprey, one of Britain’s rarest birds. Two puppet boys, Eric and Bill, journey into the world of a giant pop-up book to follow the birds all the way from Africa, across the North Atlantic Ocean, to the rich feeding grounds in the Welsh valleys. Along the way, they encounter amazing landscapes, extreme weather, and of course, some wonderful wildlife. Designed for children from 4 to 9, the 40 - minute performance will be followed by a 15-minute discussion when children will have an opportunity to meet the puppets and ask questions about the story.
Marion Perks River & Rowing Museum:Source Room FREE
34. Deborah Fielding Storytelling: Mrs McAuley’s Smallies
River & Rowing Museum: Launch Room 14.00 £2 Where could Mrs McAuley’s smallies be? Why don’t you come along and see? Join in the fun with inspirational children’s writer Deborah Fielding, back at the Children’s Festival after the success of Flippity Boppity last year. With her own young family’s experiences and humour firmly in mind, she recounts how a neighbour’s washing line dances across the countryside to the hilarity of all around. Accompanying this endearing story is the loveable tale, Oliver Barrett doesn’t like cheese! This half-hour mini workshop will give your children the opportunity to listen, sing a little, draw and explore their creative minds.Suitable for children aged 4 - 7. Younger children welcome with adult supervision.
39. Bella Bathurst Storytelling: Haggis the Rent-A-Cat and the Undermice of London River & Rowing Museum: Launch Room 15.00 £2 This enchanting story for children age 7 to 11 tells how a group of London Underground mice get on the train to Scotland by mistake. Waiting at the other end of the line is Haggis the Rent-A-Cat, hunter, predator, and reluctant winner of Cat-A-Tonic Magazine’s special feline Weight-Watchers’ challenge. Will the Undermice defeat Scotland’s most dangerous pest-control operative, or can Haggis save the world from the rodent invasion and manage to stick to his diet? Join Bella to find out, in a half-an-hour of laughter and suspense.
40. James Carter Music & Rhyme: Greetings, Earthlings River & Rowing Museum: Source Room 15.30 £4 If you’ve never met an alien, here’s your chance! In an out-of-this-world hour for 7 to 77 year olds, you can see James perform not only poems from his new book Greetings Earthlings! but also listen to some wild guitar music, then write your own poem to take home with you. Does it get any better than that? James is an award-winning poet who performs in schools and festivals all over the UK and abroad. The collection of space poems he’ll read from today is sponsored by the Science Museum and he has also been commissioned to write for the current CBeebies Poetry Pie series.
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOPS
22. Creative Writing Workshop with Margaret Bateson-Hill
River & Rowing Museum: Source Room 10.30 £4 Ever wondered what it would be like to fly a racing dragon? Come and join author Margaret Bateson-Hill for a stimulating writing workshop for children from 7 to 12 based on her novel Dragon Racer. Using the story as a starting point, Margaret encourages the children to complete their own dragon fact-file, design a racing jacket and even fly their very own dragon! A storyteller and children’s author, Margaret visits schools, libraries and museums, including the Victoria and Albert, the British Museum, the Foundling Museum and the Horniman in South London. Sponsored by Joules Clothing
29. Young Cartoonists Workshop with Martin Newman
River & Rowing Museum: Source Room 12.00 £4 Join cartoonist, Martin Newman of The Henley Standard, for an hour of laughter and lightning-fast sketching skills. Learn what makes a good cartoon, how to draw one, and how to sum up a situation with a joke in this fast-paced practical session for children age 7-12. Sponsored by Joules Clothing
P.S. SOMETHING FOR BEER LOVERS, TOO... Pete Brown Hops and Glory Lovibond's Brewery 14.00 Free Lovibond's have invited one of the world's best beer writers to town as part of the Henley Literary Festival. Pete Brown has now written 3 books on the topic of beer and he will be doing a reading and book signing from his latest book, Hops and Glory, where Pete digs deep into the role of the British in India and the history and role of India Pale Ale (IPA).
|
||||
 |
||||
| © Henley Literary Festival 2009 | Images © Thought by Design Limited Registered Address: Marquess Court, 69 Southampton Row, London, WC1B 4ET | Co. No. 06264207 |
Designed and constructed by Thought by Design Limited | |||
