This Spring, the UEA Centre for Creative and Performing Arts will be hosting its 25th Literary Festival. You can read about past festivals here and here, then read on to learn about this year’s guest authors:
Stephen Fry is probably City College’s most famous graduate. The Information Store is full of his books, including his autobiography Moab is my Washpot (BOOK ZONE 823.91 FRY) and The Ode Less Travelled (BOOK ZONE 821 FRY), his guide for aspiring poets. You can hear him read the entire Harry Potter series (BOOK ZONE 823.91 ROW) and watch him explore the history of language in Planet Word (BOOK ZONE 420 FRY). Stephen will be visiting UEA on Wednesday 14th February to talk about his latest book Mythos, a retelling of the ancient Greek myths. The Library of Greek Mythology by Apollodorus of Athens is a catalogue of religious mythology that survived the fall of the Grecian empire. To find out how heroes like Odysseus relate to gods like Hermes, check the BOOK ZONE 292.08 APP. For a shorter introduction to the world of Gods and monsters, try Theseus and the Minotaur (QUICK READS 741.5941 YEV) or Tales of the Greek Heroes (BOOK ZONE 292.13 GREEN)
The Song of Achilles (BOOK ZONE 823.92 MIL) is a retelling of the famous Greek epic The Iliad. Madeline Miller’s novel is narrated by Patroclus, the partner of famed Greek warrior Achilles. Patroclus and Achilles grow up side by side and fall for each other despite dire warnings from Achilles’ mother, the sea goddess Thetis. You might know how this story ends, but Miller’s story adds depth to previously unexplored elements of The Iliad, humanising the Gods and warriors on which the fate of Troy rests.
L: A Greek artefact shows Achilles and Patroclus tending to their war wounds. R: A statue of Achilles in Hyde Park
Miller’s newest novel Circe is inspired by another ancient epic, The Odyssey. Odysseus and his crew are travelling home from the Trojan wars when they encounter the sorceress Circe on her hidden island. Circe lures the men with food and wine, waits until they have stuffed themselves silly then transforms them into pigs! With a little help from Hermes the messenger god, Odysseus managed to outsmart Circe and rescue his friends. But what was Circe doing on the island in the first place? How did she learn to transfigure and deceive- and why is her magic always aimed at men? Miller will appear at UEA on Wednesday 2nd May, mere hours before Circe is officially released in the UK. She will be hosted by Rebecca Stott, a professor of literature at UEA and an author in her own right. As well as writing study guides and novels, Rebecca recently published In the Days of Rain, an autobiography and study of the religious cult that ensnared her family back in the 1960s.
Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus by John William Waterhouse. Look in the mirror behind Circe and you can catch sight of Odysseus.
Jon McGregor attended the CCN Sixth Form Centre- now he’s a Costa Book Award winner. He will discuss his prizewinning novel Reservoir 13 (which you can find in the Norfolk Digital Library here) at UEA on Wednesday 7th March. Check out his Man Booker nominated debut novel If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things at NORFOLK HOUSE 823.92 MAC. On Wednesday 21st February Sarah Hall will be discussing her short story collection Madame Zero– you can read the first story Mrs Fox (which won the BBC Short Story Prize back in 2013) here. Sarah Hall and Jon McGregor have made multiple appearances in Norwich- you might have caught them at last year’s City of Literature Weekend, or at the Writer’s Centre, where they recorded this interview in 2013.
L: Madame Zero author Sarah Hall. R: Jon McGregor speaking at the Writers Centre Norwich
Purchase a season ticket to the Spring Literary Festival and you can meet UEA graduate and Costa First Novel Award winner Emma Healey, broadcaster and Big Fat Quiz regular Jon Snow and Jesmyn Ward, the first woman to win two National Book Awards. Do you plan to attend the Literary Festival? Perhaps you met one your favourite authors at a past event. Share your stories with us over on Facebook or Twitter.
References
Istvan (2009) Achilles in Hyde Park. Available at: https://flic.kr/p/63foGG (Accessed: 5 February 2018)
Kander, N (2015) Sarah Hall, 2015. Available at: http://www.sarahhallauthor.com/photos.htm#photo007
Ryan, S (2013) 357px-Circe_Offering_the_Cup_to_Odysseus. Available at: https://flic.kr/p/hqFVLS (Accessed: 5 February 2018)
Smith, A (2015) Having a lovely and chill moment #reading ‘Song of Achilles’ by Madeline Miller @harpercollins #books. Available at: https://flic.kr/p/qsKEKK (Accessed: 5 February 2018)
Tronchin, F (2007) Sosias cup: Achilles & Patroklos. Available at: https://flic.kr/p/eJigPd (Accessed: 5 February 2018)
Writers Centre Norwich (2010) Jon McGregor. Available at: https://flic.kr/p/8gBcrC (Accessed: 5 February 2018)
Between the lines 