LITERARYEXTRAVAGANZA
HAYFESTIVAL
UNITEDKINGDOM
Where
Hay-on-Wye, twohours’ drive fromBristol.
When
22May to 1 June.
Goldenmoments
1988 to2014
ArthurMiller talkingon freedomof
speech, censorship inEasternEuropeandsatire in theColdWar, then
beingaskedwhatMarilynMonroewas like (1989); TedHughes reading
from
BirthdayLetters
ina thunderstorm (1996); ChristopherHitchens
andStephenFrydebatingblasphemy, faithand tolerance (2005).
This year’s highlights
MervynKingoneconomic recovery; Toni
Morrisononher 1987novel
Beloved
; GeoffHurst on theWorldCup; John
BishopandSteveCooganonwriting; crimewriter LyndaLaPlante;
children’sauthor JuliaDonaldson (celebrating the 15thanniversaryof
TheGruffalo
).
What else is there todo?
Hike the675-metreHayBluff; swimat The
Warren; canoe fromGlasbury toHay; browseRichardBooth’s
Bookshop; dineat TheStagg inTitley.
They say
“At itsbest,Hay isamixof living legendswho’vechanged
your lifeandnewvoiceswhostillmight.”– founder anddirectorPeter
Florence.
hayfestival.com
HAYFESTIVALSEGOVIA
SPAIN
Where
Inchurches, orchardsandsquaresacrossSegovia,
agoldencitynotable for itsRomanaqueduct andSierradeGuadarrama
backdrop, 30minutesbyhigh-speed train fromMadrid.
When
25 to28September.
Goldenmoments2006 to2013
The lateDorisLessing, IanMcEwan,
MartinAmis, VikramSethandHanifKureishi got the festival off toa
flyingstart.NigerianNobel LaureateWoleSoyinkaonAfricaand the
climateof fear (2007); Vicentedel Bosque,manager of theSpanish
national football teamon leadershipand teamwork (2011); visionary
designerThomas
Heatherwickon theOlympic
cauldron (2012); Spanish
writersJuanGoytisoloand
AntonioMuñozMolina; a
poetry recital fromahot air
balloonover thecity’s
aqueduct (2013).
This year’s highlights
Nobel Prize-winnersMario
VargasLlosaandJMGLe
Clézio;Hungarianauthor
PéterEsterházy; Clara
Sánchez,winner of thePremioPlaneta2013, onsuccess.
What else is there todo?
Visit theAlcázar andCathedral, stroll in the
Romeral gardens; eat sucklingpigat theMesóndeCándido; get lost in
themyriadRomanesquechurches.
They say
“I see the festival asasprawlingdemocratic forum.We’renot
just a literary festival anymoreeither; it’sall about ideas.”–director
MariaSheilaCremaschi.
hayfestival.com/segovia
STORYMOJAHAYFESTIVAL
NAIROBI, KENYA
Where
Nairobi NationalMuseum. Children (more than4,000 last year)
areVIPattendees.
When
17 to21September 2014.
Goldenmoments2009 to2013
GilesFoden, Professor ofCreative
Writingat theUK’sUniversityof EastAngliaon theOscar-winning filmof
hisnovel
TheLastKingof Scotland
; acreativewritingworkshopwith
Ethiopian-bornUSauthorDinawMengestuandPreciousWilliams, the
Nigerian-born,UK-raisedauthorof
Precious
(all 2012); a ‘ReadAloud’
FINNBEALES; DANIELMORDZINSKI; FONTCOURTESY: BYGGSTUDIO.COM
