Final day at Bath Literature Festival
Walking into the centre of Bath this afternoon was quite a tough prospect, as the usual route was blocked by hundreds of runners taking part in the Bath Half Marathon. However, I made it to the Guildhall in time for my last two sessions.
The first was a discussion sponsored by Prospect and entitled ‘Are the French better than us at everything?’ Taking part were political commentator Agnes Poirier, who has lived in England since the age of 23, novelist Kate Mosse and Guardian writer Jon Henley, all kept in order by Allan Little. There were plenty of francophiles on the platform and in the audience, but the general conclusion was that the UK has a lot going for it too. One of the subjects touched on was the French scorn of vegetarianism. Ironically, the Festival cafe had run out of veggie sandwiches by the time I arrived and I had to settle for a carrot & coriander soup so thick that I could have done with a knife and fork.
The second session was chaired by author and poet Michele Roberts in conversation with Matthew Cobb, history lecturer at Manchester University and author of ‘Resistance’, and Barbara Mellor, who has translated Agnes Humbert’s memoir of her experiences during the Occupation.
Posted 07/03/10 - Post the first comment on this story
Lynne Truss
The Central United Reform Church - one of several outposts of the Bath Literature Festival - was packed to hear Lynne Truss’s anecdotes about life as a sports reporter.
Appointed originally because she cared little about sport and knew even less, she was expected to bring a breath of fresh air to the subject. This she certainly did, despite considerable opposition from the sports establishment. The title of her book, Get Her Off The Pitch! says it all.
Posted 06/03/10 - Post the first comment on this story
Literary connections
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After a refreshing morning at the Thermae Bath Spa, I took the bus to Bristol in search of the Llandoger Trow. This old inn, in which Daniel Defoe’s meeting with Alexander Selkirk inspired him to write Robinson Crusoe, was also used by Robert Louis Stevenson as ‘The Spyglass’ in Treasure Island. After some researched on the Internet, I once used the inn as a setting for a scene in one of my stories, so I was very keen to visit and spent ages browsing round every nook and cranny open to the public. I also found time to visit Broad Quay, Queen’s Square, The Hole in the Wall (where sailors used to hide from the press gang) and John Wesley’s first chapel, The New Room.
Back in Bath, I attended a session with Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and musician/composer/actor John A Sampson. The former read poems inspired by classical myths (King Midas and Tiresius) and poignant memories of her late mother. The latter played a variety of wind instruments as well as a penny whistle, all with a great deal of panache.
Posted 05/03/10 - Post the first comment on this story
Swanwick 2010
The new Swanwick website is now up and running. Still work to be done but already well worth a look.
Posted 03/03/10 - Post the first comment on this story
Judge Jeffreys and Richard Ingrams
I finished my visit to Dorchester with coffee in the Oak Room, notorious as the venue for the 1685 Bloody Assizes, and then caught the train back to Bath for The Oldie Event.
Editor Richard Ingrams (with a hacking cough) and Virginia Ironside were in conversation with the audience about the style and content of the magazine and there was also a slide show of the best cartoons of recent years.
Posted 02/03/10 - Post the first comment on this story