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The Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival 2008 |
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The twelfth Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival will be taking place at Christ Church and other venues around Oxford. Below is a list of events for the Festival and information about how you can buy tickets. To visit the official website of the Festival, click here
Monday 31 March | Tuesday 01 April | Wednesday 02 April
040 CATE HASTE and CLARISSA EDEN As the wife of the embattled prime minister Anthony Eden, Lady Eden is perhaps best known for her 1956 lament that ‘in the past few weeks I have really felt as if the Suez Canal was flowing through my drawing room.’ As her marvellous recent memoir makes clear, however, she was far more than a drawing-room consort. The Zuleika Dobson of her day, she was befriended and admired by characters as diverse as Orson Welles, Evelyn Waugh, Lucian Freud and Noel Coward. She talks about her life and times with her editor, Cate Haste. |
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For years, scholars have wondered about the precise nature of the relationship between William Wordsworth and his adoring sister, Dorothy. In this lively talk, Frances Wilson, author of a controversial new book on the subject, scours Dorothy’s own writing for fresh insight into the strength of the feelings which united them. |
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Nassim Taleb’s innovative and intriguing theory of the ‘black swan’ – a highly improbable event such as 9/11 or the birth of Google that is utterly unpredictable but has massive impact – was one of the most talked-about books of 2007. Why do we always ignore the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur? Are we hard-wired not to estimate risk? In this fascinating talk, Taleb explains everything we know about what we don't know, and shows us how to face the world. |
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In The Undercover Economist Tim Harford showed how ordinary economics explained everyday curiosities, such as the price of a cup of coffee and the traffic jam on the way to the supermarket. Drawing on his new book, The Logic of Life, he now discusses how the new economics of rational choice theory can explain much, much more, from drug addiction and teenage muggers to suburban sprawl and inner city decay. Supported by Ian and Carol Sellars |
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056 GENERAL LORD GUTHRIE, ANTHONY DWORKIN and HUGO SLIM The Just War tradition has evolved over the centuries as a way to impose moral discipline and humanity on the waging of war. But the changing nature of war has severely tested these principles; when conflict begins it is always the civilians who end up suffering. So can theory and practice ever match up? What is a just war, anyway, and how just can it ever be? Discussing this issue will be General Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, Chief of Defence Staff 1997-2001 and co-author of The Just War Tradition: Ethics in Modern Warfare; Anthony Dworkin, executive director of the Crimes of War Project and co-editor of Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know; and Hugo Slim, who has worked for Save the Children, the UN, Oxfam and the British Red Cross and is author of Killing Civilians: Method, Madness and Morality in War. Supported by Ian and Carol Sellars |
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FRANK CLOSE Particle physics concerns the fundamental constituents of the universe. But what is it exactly, how did it evolve, and how do we study it? Join Frank Close as he gives a very short introduction to quarks, electrons, the neutrino, exotic matter, and antimatter. |
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158 MALT WHISKEY TASTING Bottles will outnumber books at this festival event, a tutored journey through Scotland’s distinctive whisky regions. The diversity and appeal of Scotch Malt Whisky, once an area of niche connoisseurship, continues to grow, and tasting participants will enjoy samples from some less well-known distilleries as well as famous brands. The session, led by John Harris, Steward of Christ Church, will include an example of a unique cask strength dram. Sponsored by The Bruichladdich Distillery And The Whiskey Shop, Oxford |
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One of our most arresting poets and literary critics explains exactly how poetry works, unpicking masterpieces by Ted Hughes, Shakespeare and Seamus Heaney among others, and unlocking the mysteries of rhyme, form and metre. |
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What is "the void"? What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - "nothing" - exist? Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Oxford University, explores the science and the history of our study of the elusive void: from Aristotle who insisted that the vacuum was impossible, via the theories of Newton and Einstein, to our very latest discoveries and the extraordinary things they can tell us about the cosmos. |
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130 ROGER MARSH and MARCELLA RIORDAN Hearing the words of Molly Bloom and Anna Livia Plurabelle spoken out loud brings a new perspective to James Joyce's two great female characters. Roger Marsh, professor of music at the University of York, discusses these two distinctive women with the Irish actress Marcella Riordan, who reads from both Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. Sponsored by Naxos AudioBooks |
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World-renowned psychologist Oliver James caused a stir when he used the word Affluenza to describe the modern-day virus of greed sweeping through the English-speaking world. In this fascinating talk he provides more evidence to back up his claims, and argues that we have become more miserable and distressed since the 1970s, a direct consequence of Thatcherite/Blairite 'Selfish Capitalism', whose most significant act has been to rob the poor to give to the rich. Supported by Ian and Carol Sellars |
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The Booker prize-winning author of The Famished Road talks about his latest work: the delicate story of a prince and a maiden who are both tested by trials in a mythical land where art, initiation and dynamic stillness are supremely important. Nigerian-born Okri has a style and imagination all his own. |
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Remember when one in three houses had no hot water? When poisonous clouds of pollution hung over our cities? When we were expected to be cheerful – just because we’d won the war? Hear historian David Kynaston talk about his definitive account of the post-war years, written with the help of Glenda Jackson, Doris Lessing, John Arlott and many more who recall hoping for a better future – and an end to sweet rationing. Sponsored by Blackwell |
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058 TEMPESTUOUS TIMES What can we learn from the Fool and the ‘Lord of Misrule’ in describing a |
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FREE SPEECH |
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055 DINNER WITH SOCRATES? Would you accept an invitation to a dinner party with Socrates in ancient Athens? ‘Yes please,’ reply Oliver Taplin and M.M. McCabe. ‘No thank you,’ say Mary Beard and Tom Holland. Philosophical golden age for a few old men? Repression, harassment and abuse for the rest? You decide. Oliver Taplin is Professor of Classics at Magdalen College, Oxford, whose books include Pots & Plays and Greek Tragedy in Action; M.M. McCabe is Professor of Ancient Philosophy at King’s College, London; Mary Beard is author of The Roman Triumph, Professor of Classics at Cambridge and Classics Editor of the TLS; Tom Holland’s books include Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic. Chaired by Peter Stothard, Editor of The TLS. Sponsored by the Times Literary Supplement |
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Wednesday 02 April |
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210 ADAM ZAMOYSKI Few peace treaties have been more influential or longer-lasting than that agreed at the Congress of Vienna at the end the Napoleonic Wars: the territorial settlements achieved there fixed Europe's borders for a century and created a social order and a security system whose problems still dog the world today. Historian Adam Zamoyski has followed up his best-selling 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow with a brilliant dissection of the brutal bargaining which led up to the signing of the treaty. Hear him sketch the remarkable players in this frenetic diplomatic game, and the squalid sexual intrigues which went on behind the scenes as Europe sat down to carve up the world. Sponsored by Blackwell |
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167 A LITERARY GUIDE TO OXFORD Information to follow |
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Few things mirror the times as much as our changing taste in food. Acclaimed historian Kate Colquhoun takes us from the Iron Age to the industrial revolution, and from the Regency to Jamie Oliver, charting the different fashions in food, and what those fashions tell us about our history. When did we move from serving everything at once to the succession of courses we know today? How did the Black Death lead to the beginning of rural baking? Why was the sale of fruit banned in 1569? Colquhoun answers all these questions and many, many more. Sponsored by Blackwell |
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170 DAVID WHYTE Information to follow |
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“Mallory and Irvine”. The mystery of the two British climbers who perished near the summit of Mount Everest in 1924 has never lost its allure. Were they the first to reach the summit of the world's highest mountain some thirty years before Hillary and Tenzing in 1953? Julie Summers, the great niece of Sandy Irvine, talks about her definitive biography of the young mountaineer, whose life and death linked him with one of the greatest mountaineering legends of all time. |
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According to award-winning science writer Rita Carter, human beings are made up of not just one personality, but a whole bunch of them, working together to give the impression of a unified self. Here she talks about her striking new theory, and offers practical guidance on how to build a strong and happy “household” of personalities and how to get them to cooperate as effectively as possible. |
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211 CHRISTOPHER LLOYD Information to follow |
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Aiming to be the first person in history to walk the entire 4,000-kilometer length of the Great Wall, Nathan Gray set off in October 2000 on an idealistic trek to mark the millennium in cultural, racial and religious harmony. The idealism lasted barely a month. In this fascinating talk, Gray recounts his extraoardinary encounters – blizzards, lightning strikes, thirst, starvation, snakes, police detention and the fatal stabbing of a Chinese friend – and his determination, despite physical and mental fatigue, to complete his journey. Sponsored by Cox & Kings |
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213 MARC MORRIS Information to follow |
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159 THE FUTURE OF PALESTINE If Palestine is at the core of the problems in the Middle East, then what is the solution? How do we move forward from an impasse that has foiled many a peacekeeping initiative, in the year that marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. Renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, joins Avi Shlaim, author of The Lion of Jordan: King Hussein’s Life in War and Peace, and chair James Barr, author of Setting the Desert on Fire: The Arab Revolt of 1916, to discuss the issues. |
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Since 1970, Ireland has changed more dramatically than at almost any other time in its history, not just economically, but also socially, politically and demographically. Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History at the University of Oxford and one of the most perceptive commentators on the country, talks about the extent of those changes, and what these major transformations mean for Irish history in the long run. Sponsored by Blackwell |
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061 CHARLES JENCKS From Frank Gehry in Dundee and Zaha Hadid in Fife to the Wilkinson Eyre designs at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, Maggie’s Centres have become contemporary landmarks. Exploring the uplifting power of buildings, Charles Jencks, author of Critical Modernism and Iconic Buildings and co-founder of Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, discusses the importance of design in creating these unique environments and tells the story behind Maggie’s pioneering form of cancer support. After the talk, Chris Wilkinson of Wilkinson Eyre will join Charles Jencks on stage to answer questions about the design for Maggie’s Oxford. |
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Games are played everywhere from economics and online auctions to social interactions. Game theory is about how to play such games in a rational way, and how to maximize their outcomes. Here, Ken Binmore reveals the insights that theory can bring to everything from how to play poker optimally to the sex ratio among bees. |
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235 A Day in the Life – Political Diarists on Political Diaries To paraphrase the old maxim, all political careers end in failure – and memoirs. So what makes a good political diary? Can a politician’s diary be true? Why should we care? We'll be debating with some of the people best placed to answer – the political diarists themselves. The Orwell Prize is Britain's pre-eminent prize for political writing. Two awards – one for a book, one for journalism – are given each year to writers who achieve George Orwell's ambition 'to make political writing into an art'. This year's winners will be announced on 24th April. Check website at a later date for speakers. |
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All children learn at school about Florence Nightingale, but what about the other women caught up in the carnage of the Crimean war? Christine Kelly, editor of Fanny Duberly’s famous and recently republished eye-witness journals of the war, discusses with fellow historian Helen Rappaport some of the untold stories of female heroism, stoicism and endeavour from this most bloody conflict. Sponsored by Blackwell |
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Why do we sleep? How much sleep do we normally need, and what happens if you don't get enough of it? Jim Horne, Director of the Sleep Research Centre at the University of Loughborough, finds the answers to these questions and many more in this fascinating journey through the science and the secrets of our sleeping lives. |
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Most of us are apple lovers, but crumble aside, how many of us can come up with really imaginative recipes for this wonderful fruit? Drawing on her delightful book for inspiration, Sue Clifford talks of Britain’s rich apple heritage, revealing where to find the best local varieties and how to use them. |
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062 SEAMUS MURPHY and ANTHONY LOYD From 1994 until 2006, Seamus Murphy photographed the Taliban regime, the tumultuous years of civil war, and the historical elections following the fall of the Taliban. Alongside scenes of war and politics, his magnificent photographs capture intimate images of domesticity, work and play. He talks about his work with war correspondent Anthony Lloyd. Supported by Ian and Carol Sellars |
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015 DAVID BRADSHAW Virginia Woolf said the goal of the essay 'is simply that it should give pleasure...It should lay us under a spell with its first word, and we should only wake, refreshed, with its last'. David Bradshaw, the editor of a new one-volume selection of Woolf’s essays, sheds new light on the author of To The Lighthouse, a great but flawed and fragile writer. |
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013 TONY PINKNEY Can one man change an entire city and university, however much campaigning energy he can muster in his lifetime? William Morris certainly wanted to transform nineteenth-century Oxford and lectured in it no less than nine times as an architectural and political activist in his middle and later years. Though the story of Morris's student days in the city has been told many times by his biographers, the tale of his later impassioned returns to Oxford is much less well-known. Tony Pinkney recreates Morris's sixteen-year struggle to convert his alma mater into a conservationist and socialist utopia: a story of rousing speeches, crusading organisations, inspired undergraduates, setbacks and disappointments, but also of some crucial successes. Sponsored by Purcell Miller Tritton |
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Wars do not end when the fighting stops. While Hitler and Goebbels took their lives in the bunker under ruined Berlin, men and women everywhere faced the prospect of rebuilding peace. In this fascinating talk, David Stafford uncovers some of the stories of those who had lived through the Second World War and now had to endure the daily horrors and hardships of its aftermath, from the Allied soldiers who liberated the concentration camps, to the German civilians forced to face up to the consequences of defeat. Sponsored by Blackwell |
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Writer and comedian Charlie Higson has brought Bond to life for a whole new younger generation through his fantastic Young Bond series. With four titles already out and one due for late 2008, the centenary year of Ian Fleming's creation is full of exciting prospects for James Bond fans. Focusing on the current title Hurricane Gold, a fast-paced adventure set in the wilderness of Mexico, Charlie Higson will entertain young and old alike with his fantastic knowledge of the world's most famous secret agent. |
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086 SUSAN CLOW, MARK HADDON, LOIS KEITH How is disability treated in writing, in both books and film and television scripts? Is specialist research a good idea, or is Mark Haddon’s approach, that disabled people are just other humans, better? Joining Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, is Susan Clow, manager of Scope’s “In the Picture” project which promotes the inclusion of disabled children in early years’ picture books, and Lois Keith, author of Take Up Thy Bed & Walk: Death, Disability and Cure in Classic Fiction for Girls. Chaired by Tom Shakespeare. |
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RANA MITTER China today is never out of the news: from human rights controversies and the continued legacy of Tiananmen Square, to global coverage of the Beijing Olympics, and the Chinese 'economic miracle'. Join Rana Mitter as he gives his very short introduction to why China looks the way it does today, and how it got there. |
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Lionel Shriver won herself a huge audience when her hard-hitting novel We Need to Talk about Kevin won the Orange Prize for fiction. Here the no-nonsense novelist and critic talks about the inspiration behind her new novel, whose plot hinges on one simple kiss, which will determine whether Irina McGovern stays with her disciplined, intellectual partner Lawrence or runs off with Ramsey, a hard-living snooker player. |
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The British can make two remarkable claims about their empire. Not only was it the largest and most diverse in history, but it also had one of the swiftest declines. Why so fast? The acclaimed historian Piers Brendon is a brilliant and controversial guide to Britain's imperial sunset. Sponsored by Blackwell |
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Everyone has such moments: 'I didn't know what to say!' They may be provoked by a friend, a colleague or a stranger. You may be at work, in a bar or under the duvet. It may be a matter of love or death, a question of honesty or belief. And the worst thing is – you say the wrong thing. What Not To Say takes those situations, unpacks them with philosophy, and explores the do's and don'ts. For those weary of feel-good self-help, or wary of psycho-babble, Mark Vernon – a former Anglican priest who now teaches philosophy at Birkbeck College, London – offer an alternative. |
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If there’s one thing harder than bringing peace to Northern Ireland, it’s writing about it. Jonathan Powell was the government’s key negotiator in the long search for a lasting settlement in the province, and has since become good mates with two of the Provisional IRA’s leading lights, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness – much to the horror of many of his friends and relations. In this keenly awaited account of the peace process’s twists and turns, its backroom deals and fuzzy fixes, Powell promises an insider’s account of history in the making. Supported by Ian and Carol Sellars |
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063 PENGUIN READERS' EVENING Come and hear three of Penguin's new writers talk about their latest books and ask an important Penguin editor how she decides what to publish. Catherine Bailey, author of Black Diamonds, will talk about the downfall of the Fitzwilliams – a wealthy influential family who lived in England's largest private house until catastrophe descended. Jane Johnson, author of Crossed Bones, will speak of Barbary pirates in Cornwall and Morocco, tracing her connections with both places. And novelist Jeremy Page will transport the audience to Norfolk at the end of the Second World War to talk about his acclaimed fictional debut, Salt. Viking Editorial Director, Kate Barker, will talk about her work as an editor at Penguin. £1 off the price of one title if you order the books in advance or on the evening at Blackwell's Bookshop, 50 Broad Street on presentation of your ticket. Tel: 01865 333623. Or present your ticket on the evening itself at the |
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085 JAMIE McKENDRICK, BERNARD O'DONOGHUE and TOM PAULIN A chance to hear three of our finest contemporary poets read from their work and discuss the art of poetry with each other. Jamie McKendrick looks from Franco's Spain to the Belgian Congo in his search for the symbols of power in his new volume Crocodiles & Obelisks; Tom Paulin revisits poems from his celebrated and varied collections; and Bernard O'Donoghue looks back on his distinguished career as represented in his outstanding Selected Poems. |
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177 CLIMATE XCHANGE Join us for a creative journey through climate change. This event will showcase Oxfordshire writers responding to the highs and lows of the climate journey, making you laugh, possibly even cry, but engage in a refreshing and new way with climate change and our responses to it. Brought to you by Oxfordshire ClimateXchange and Hammer and Tongue |
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The team behind the very popular general knowledge quiz game bring you more astounding and little-known facts, this time on the subject of the animal kingdom. Meet the water bears that can live in suspension for hundreds of years, the parasite carried by your cat that makes men grumpy and women promiscuous, and the woodlouse that drinks through its bottom. Marvel at elephants that walk on tiptoe, pigs that shine in the dark, and woodpeckers that have ears on the end of their tongues. |
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209 Parktown Strutters (jazz band) Information to follow |
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Thursday 03 April |
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171 ADAM SISMAN Hugh Trevor-Roper was the liveliest historian of his generation: a spy, a scholar and a world-class controversialist, who ended up a laughing-stock when he was fooled into authenticating the Hitler diaries. Adam Sisman, who is writing Trevor-Roper’s biography, talks about the secrets he has unearthed so far. |
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Do you need a second invitation? In this inspirational conversation, Dragon's Den star Peter Jones reveals how anyone can become successful, lists his Ten Golden Rules for turning your ideas into successful businesses and offers his personal insight into the qualities and skills he believes every successful entrepreneur needs. |
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Behind the public facade of any great museum there lies a secret domain: one of unseen galleries, locked doors, priceless specimens and hidden lives. London's Natural History Museum has more than its fair share of both secrets and oddities, as Richard Fortey, senior palaeontologist at the museum, is well-placed to reveal. He delves into its past, uncovering feuds, a whole host of eccentrics, and an extraordinary number of skeletons in closets. |
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Award-winning cookery writer and Italy enthusiast Matthew Fort talks about his love affair with Sicily and its food, a relationship that began when he was a callow youth and survived thirty years of separation until he rediscovered the island’s exquisite food, intense flavours and beautiful scenery on a recent journey there with his scooter Monica. |
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125 RAND RUSSELL Rhymes, mysteries and maths are delivered by skilled and experienced storyteller Rand Russell, who launched the Storybeing Project five years ago after a 30-year career as an arts educator. His design work, featured in solo exhibitions and collections in the USA and Europe, contributes to the visual aspects of his mesmerising performances. |
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126 RAND RUSSELL Rhymes, mysteries and maths are delivered by skilled and experienced storyteller Rand Russell, who launched the Storybeing Project five years ago after a 30-year career as an arts educator. His design work, featured in solo exhibitions and collections in the USA and Europe, contributes to the visual aspects of his mesmerising performances. |
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043 JANE DUNN/ LILY DUNN Biographer Jane Dunn discusses her dual biography Read My Heart: Dorothy Osborne and Sir William Temple, A Love Story in the Age of Revolution, with her daughter, Lily Dunn, author of the fiction debut, Shadowing the Sun, about tragically misplaced loyalties. More than three centuries separate the subjects of these books, one history, the other fiction, but the themes – forbidden love, the power of family, sectarian prejudice and the struggle for identity – echo each other. |
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Would you rather be buried, burned, sunk or pickled? Or turned into a diamond, embalmed like Lenin, or frozen like Walt Disney? The Dying Game is a rollercoaster history of everything that can and does befall a corpse – from the bizarre and macabre death rituals of ancient and modern cultures, to the fascinating biological, ethical, and legal story that begins only when we end. |
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Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, one of the nation’s most prominent religious figures, talks about his new book, his views on the future of British society and the dangers facing liberal democracy. He questions the value of multiculturalism, and argues for a new approach to national identity, one based on responsibilities rather than rights. Supported by Ian and Carol Sellars |
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At a time when the very notion of the book is challenged by computers, ipods and screens of every shape and size, Blood on Paper (IvoryPress and V&A Publishing) shows the extraordinary ways in which the book still has the power to inspire – how it has been treated by leading artists of today and the recent past. Focusing on works where the artist has been the driving force in conception and design, it includes artists as diverse as Henri Matisse, Louise Bourgeois, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor and Paula Rego. This ground breaking book comprises a series of unbound booklets presented in a beautifully designed box. Elena Foster is Founder/Chairman of IvoryPress and is co-curating the exhibition Blood on Paper at the V&A (15 April – 29 June) with Rowan Watson who is a Senior Curator in the National Art Library. Sponsored by Artweeks |
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He may be one of our most acclaimed novelists, but William Boyd, author of Restless, A Good Man in Africa and Brazzaville Beach, first made his reputation as a short-story writer. He talks about his gripping new collection of 24 tales, set in the places he writes about best: Africa, Nice and Hollywood. |
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216 ITALIAN LOVERS’ BANQUET with ANNA DEL CONTE Join Sacla’, those irresistibly Italian food people, and Anna Del Conte, the doyenne of Italian food writers, as they together host an Italian Food Lovers’ Banquet in the magnificent surroundings of the Great Hall at Christ Church. The menu for the five course banquet will be inspired by recipes in Anna’s new book, The Painter, the Cook & L’Arte di Sacla, a lavish culinary travelogue that celebrates Italian regional food and includes an eclectic selection of local recipes and stories from some of the less well known regions of Italy. |
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Issues in medical ethics are rarely out of the media. Tony Hope briefly introduces the ethical issues that lie at the heart of medicine. He deals with thorny moral questions, such as euthanasia and the morality of killing, and also explores political questions such as: how should health care resources be distributed fairly? |
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219 FELICITY BRYAN presenting Dr Elizabeth Bryan's family carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, which means that any female member who inherits it has an 80% chance of having cancer of the breast or ovaries. Elizabeth nursed both her sisters – Bernadette who died of ovarian cancer and Felicity who had breast cancer – then developed pancreatic cancer herself. Here, Felicity Bryan talks about Elizabeth's work as a doctor and a geneticist and about her very moving memoir, Singing the Life: The Story of a Family Living in the Shadow of Cancer. |
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The Gormenghast Trilogy, a fantasy epic set in a castle inhabited by grotesques, is one of the strongest and strangest works of imagination in 20th-century English literature. Its author, Mervyn Peake, died before he could enjoy the cult status earned by his creations, but his son, Sebastian, has now edited a collection of his father's unpublished stories and little-known pictures. He talks about the man behind the work. |
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Few know India better than "Tully-Sahib", the BBC correspondent in Delhi for almost quarter of a century. Born in Calcutta and educated in Britain, he is a citizen of two countries and two cultures. Today, he speaks of the formative experiences of his upbringing, his early vocation as a priest, his reporting career and the tensions he's observed between India's strong sense of tradition and its headlong embrace of change. Sponsored by Cox & Kings |
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067 BARONESS MARY WARNOCK, DR GUY BROWN and DR ROBERT TWYCROSS Death used to be an event, now it’s often a chronic condition and the probability of developing dementia is now 1 in 4. We are politically, medically and ethically unprepared for a future where there will be tens of millions of extremely old people. What are we doing about it? The choices confronting the terminally ill may change for the lucky few with developments in stem cell therapy but we also need to look at the choices for the end of life, including palliative care and euthanasia. To be discussed by Baroness Mary Warnock, philosopher and author of Easeful Death: Is There a Case for Assisted Dying? Dr Guy Brown, head of a stem research group at Cambridge University and author of The Living End and Dr Robert Twycross, who after a distinguished career in palliative medicine, including being Head of the World Health Organisation’s Collaborative Centre for Palliative Care is now Emeritus Clinical Reader in Palliative Medicine at Oxford University. Chaired by Joan Bakewell. Supported by Ian and Carol Sellars. |
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’Latin is a language, as dead as dead can be/ It killed off all the Romans and now it’s killing me.’ Despite schoolboy resistance, the Latin language has been a constant in the cultural history of the West for over two millennia, and has shaped the way we think of ourselves and of our place in the world. In this fascinating talk, Nicholas Ostler looks at the reasons for Latin’s longevity. Sponsored by Blackwell |
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We have built a world that no longer fits our bodies. Our genes limit our capacity to adapt to the modern urban lifestyle. There is a mismatch, the result of which we're witnessing in the explosion of diabetes, heart disease and obesity. Bringing together the latest scientific research in evolutionary biology, development, medicine, anthropology and ecology, Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson, both leading medical scientists, argue that many of our modern problems can be understood in terms of this fundamental and growing mismatch. It is an insight that we ignore at our peril. |
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215 ANDREW ANTHONY AND KENAN MALIK Information to follow |
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089 ELLIS AVERY and LESLEY DOWNER Ellis Avery's debut novel, The Teahouse Fire, which is written in the vein of Memoirs of a Geisha, has already caused a critical stir in the United States. It is an emotionally charged portrait of 19th-century Japan, as seen through the eyes of young Amelia, a western orphan who grows up under the protective care of a Kyoto tea house. Lesley Downer has both written widely on and presented programmes on the BBC and Channel 4 about Japan and its culture but The Last Concubine is her first novel – an epic love story closely based on historical events, telling of a shogun and a princess and chronicling 19th century Japan's extraordinary change from a medieval to a modern country via civil war. They will discuss the pleasures and difficulties of writing about 19th century Japan and reflect on the influences that living in this rich culture has had on them. At the end of the event Ellis will perform a Japanese tea ceremony. |
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‘Seven o clock on a Monday morning, five hundred years after the end of the world, and goblins had been at the cellar again….’ Come with Joanne Harris, author of the bestselling Chocolat, as she embarks in her first book for children on an epic romp into the heart of the old Norse tales: wild, dangerous, richly inventive and superbly imaginative. |
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218 Alphabet Aloud! Children love to play – and so do adults, if they’ll only admit it. Words are toys and language is a huge adventure playground of climbing frames, sand-pits, slides and rides. We present a lively and unusual look at the twenty-six letters of the alphabet, led by writers Marcus Moore and Sara-Jane Arbury. From ABC to XYZ, this expressive performance of characters, cartoons and cameos follows all-action workshops at Cowley library in February and March and completes a unique project. Remember: an alphabet a day keeps the scholar at play. For 10 – 13 year olds In association with Oxfordshire County Libraries |
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The Quakers are a fascinating religious group both in their origins and in the variety of reinterpretations of the faith since. Pink Dandelion briefly charts the history of Quakerism and its present-day diversity, and outlines its approach to worship, belief, theology and language, and ecumenism. |
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175 BILL EMMOTT AND DAVID SMITH Should the ever-increasing economic muscle of China and India provoke fear, admiration or hope? Can these countries sustain their incredible rates of growth? How will they handle the effects of industrialisation on the environment? These questions – and the challenges posed to America’s global leadership – will all be discussed by Bill Emmott, former editor of The Economist, and author of The Rivals: How the power struggle between China, India and Japan will Shape our Next Decade and David Smith, economics editor of the Sunday Times, and author of The Dragon and the Elephant: China, India and the New World Order. Supported by Ian and Carol Sellars |
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133 DAVID TIMSON Taking us from Beerbohm Tree to Kenneth Branagh, actor David Timson, the author of The History of the Theatre and Stories from Shakespeare, makes use of many rare archive performances from the 1890s up to the present day to chart the fascinating changes in Shakespearian acting style on record. Sponsored by Naxos AudioBooks |
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Depression is now a catch-all term embracing everything from sadness to life-threatening mental illness. Doctors even talk of an ‘epidemic’ of depression. But what is it? And can we learn how to handle it? Sally Brampton, former editor of Elle, has written powerfully of her experience of surviving depression. She talks to Lisa Appignanesi, whose latest book is about women and mental illness. The debate is chaired by Marjorie Wallace, founder of SANE. |
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001 SEBASTIAN FAULKS interviewed by PETER KEMP
128 PHILIP PULLMAN
002 LAURIE MAGUIRE
007 MARY AND JOHN GRIBBIN
009 PETER ATKINS
187 JIM NAUGHTIE
131 ROY STRONG
165 JUSTIN CARTWRIGHT
003 PHILIP MARSDEN
008 MAVIS CHEEK
JOHN GRIBBIN
004 NICHOLAS MURRAY
005 FRANCES WILSON
145 NASSIM TALEB
057 TIM HARFORD
006 TOM PAULIN
166 FRANK CLOSE
039 OLIVER JAMES
084 BEN OKRI
041 DAVID KYNASTON
152 KATHERINE SWIFT
153 KATE COLQUHOUN
011 JULIE SUMMERS
060 RITA CARTER
042 NATHAN GRAY
168 ROY FOSTER
KEN BINMORE
014 JIM HORNE
012 SUE CLIFFORD
212 DAVID STAFFORD
059 CHARLIE HIGSON
169 LIONEL SHRIVER
236 PIERS BRENDON
016 MARK VERNON
208 JONATHAN POWELL
214 JOHN LLOYD AND JOHN MITCHENSON
017 PETER JONES
160 RICHARD FORTEY
217 MATTHEW FORT
180 MELANIE KING
157 JONATHAN SACKS
066 ELENA FOSTER and ROWAN WATSON
188 WILLIAM BOYD
TONY HOPE
019 SEBASTIAN PEAKE
088 MARK TULLY
181 NICHOLAS OSTLER
068 PETER GLUCKMAN and MARK HANSON
100 JOANNE HARRIS
PINK DANDELION
064 SALLY BRAMPTON and LISA APPIGNANESI chaired by MARJORIE WALLACE
