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voice from the grave
Former war correspondent and best-selling author Damien Lewis brings to life WWII Special Forces hero Archie Gibson in his new book Behind Enemy Lines. Gibson miraculously survived a harrowing attack in the desert by an 88mm German gun and went on to spearhead a string of daring missions by the Long Range Desert Group patrol,…
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Climate Upheaval
After a summer of wildfires, drought and natural disasters across the world – and the first hosepipe ban in Somerset in 50 years – climate and geopolitics expert Arthur Snell should prove a fascinating guest at the Festival. In his book Elemental he suggests that, while natural disasters and increased scarcity of food shake the…
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Destiny In The Stars
Budding astronomers inspired by the recent solar eclipse can reach for the skies once more duringthe Festival. Dame Maggie Aderin, space scientist and presenter of BBC4’s The Sky at Night, will tell the fascinating story of how her destiny was always written in the stars. Her memoir Starchild: My Life Under the Night Sky reveals…
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Young Poets’ Record High
A record number of 170 entries has been received in the Young Poets’ category of this year’s Festival competitions, beating 2021’s previous high of 106 entries during the second Covid lockdown. Entries for 2026 closed on Friday 31 July. This increase in numbers follows an extended deadline of an extra month for Young Poets, aged…
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A Homage To Rice
Rice will be at the heart of the chef slot this year with the appearance of Malaysian-born chef Ping Coombes whose new book is called, quite simply, Rice. Her book is a homage to the grain, in which she offers advice and timeless recipes, along with tips on the different ways to cook rice perfectly…
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Author’s life of crime
Former film and TV producer Jayne Chard gave a fascinating account at a special event for Festival Friends of how her career has evolved into her becoming a best-selling author of murder mysteries. In a talk ranging from tales of making action movies in the Australian outback – where everything in the bush “wants to…
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Trio in Top 40 reads
Three of the Festival’s speakers have appeared in a list of the top 40 summer books featured in the Sunday Times. Andrea Wulf, Katja Hoyer and Jess Venner are all named as well worth a look in the newspaper’s guide to summer reading. Andrea Wulf’s The Traveller follows the fascinating life of George Forster who,…
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Prizes for Young Poets
This is the last call for entries to the Young Poets competition which will close on 31 July. Entrants must be aged between 16 and 22. Extra time has been given this year to allow for summer exams, so there are just a few weeks left to polish up those entries. The other three categories…
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Palestine Revisited
A new edition of The Palestinians, by journalist and filmmaker Jonathan Dimbleby, with photographs by the internationally-acclaimed photojournalist Don McCullin, is an update on the book that was published in 1980. Illustrated by photographs of the current devastation, Dimbleby argues that the issue of the Palestinian people and their quest for a homeland is even…
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BBC’s Ed pulls out
Edward Stourton, a regular presenter on the BBC’s Radio 4 World at One programme, has pulled out of this year’s Festival because of an ongoing health issue. He was due to appear to discuss his new book Made in America, which offers a fascinating and dark retelling of US history with lessons for the present.…
