Durham University: Durham Book Festival
What to expect at the Festival?
This year’s Festival promises a great mix of live and digital events between 9 and 17 October.
You will be able to enjoy events live at Durham’s Gala Theatre, where there will be a range of safety measures to keep everyone comfortable, plus digital events including author talks, films and podcasts, and walking tours.
Star names to look forward to include comedian and television presenter Richard Osman with his record-breaking debut The Thursday Murder Club, Booker Prize winner Pat Barker with her new novel The Women of Troy and poet Fiona Benson, who has been chosen as this year’s Festival Laureate, sponsored by Durham University.
Francis Spufford and Sarah Winman will also be introducing their new novels reflecting on the Second World War; and Fiona Hill, a former deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump, will talk with journalist Anne McElvoy about her testimony during Trump’s impeachment hearings.
Stirring events to unfold
Durham Book Festival, which we have been supporting with great enthusiasm for a long time, is one of England’s oldest literary festivals.
We are thrilled to present ‘Inside the Archives’ events at our Palace Green Library where you can discover more about the literary history of Durham.
Our historical Bishop Cosin’s Library has been used in the filming of Durham’s award-winning author Pat Barker, where you can listen to her interesting career tales and her latest take on classical history.
Our experts will share seven new concepts for living life with the ‘new normal’, which we are very much looking forward to.
Short videos promoting pioneering ideas will be circulated throughout the Festival. Each academic will be given 10 minutes to share their big idea, which range from an approach to nature conservation to women’s leadership.
You can also enjoy this year’s Festival Laureate Fiona Benson reading from her poems that were inspired by the history of witchcraft in Durham and her archival research in our Palace Green Library.
Get involved from wherever you are
There is so much to look forward to at the Durham Book Festival and you can now get involved from anywhere in the world via online streaming and chat.