4-20 October 2013

www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk

Great fiction at Ilkley Literature Festival

Virginia Woolf: Alexandra HarrisSat 5 Oct 1.45–2.45pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWLiverpool University cultural historian, Alexandra Harris, reveals Virginia Woolf as a passionate, determined woman full of wit, vivacity and fun, whose life was shaped by her defiant refusal to submit to literary convention, social constraints and mental illness.£5/3.

Maggie O’Farrell: Instructions for a Heat WaveSat 5 Oct 3.15–4.15pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWCosta Novel Award-winner, Maggie O’Farrell, talks about her latest compelling novel, Instructions for a Heatwave. Guilt, un-tellable secrets and hidden resentment, in a portrait of an Irish family in crisis in the legendary heatwave of 1976.£7/5.

The Breath of Night: Michael ArdittiSat 5 Oct 4.30–5.30pm St Margaret’s Hall, Ilkley LS29 9TZAward-winning novelist, Michael Arditti, talks about his grippingpsychological thriller. Philip Seward, sent to investigate the life and death of a missionary priest in a remote Philippine village, discovers nothing and nobody are what they seem.£5/3.

Mr Loverman: Bernardine EvaristoSat 5 Oct 7.30–8.45pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWBarrington Jedidiah Walker. Barry to his friends. Trouble to his wife. And for the past sixty years, in a secret relationship with his childhood friend, Morris. Bernadine Evaristo discusses her ground-breaking exploration of Britain’s older Caribbean community.£5/3.This event includes the launch of the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2014.In association with SI Leeds and Peepal Tree press.

The Blind Man’s Garden: Nadeem AslamSun 6 Oct 2.30–3.30pm Rombalds Hotel, Ilkley LS29 9JGAward-winning author, Nadeem Aslam, discusses his powerful new novel set in the months after 9/11. Two Pakistani foster brothers secretly enter Afghanistan to help wounded civilians…£5/3.

Jane Austen: Guided Reading Group6–7pm Mon 7, Wed 9, Mon 14 & Wed 16 Oct Manor House Museum, Ilkley LS29 9DTDr Richard de Ritter, from the School of English at the Univer-sity of Leeds, offers an expert guide to Jane Austen’s master-piece, Persuasion.The sessions will consider the novel’s combination of social commentary,romance and intricate psychological exploration.£15/10 includes all four sessions.In association with the University of Leeds.

What Exactly is a Book Club?Wed 9 Oct 10.30–11.30am The Wheatley Arms LS29 8PPJoin The Wheatley Arms reading group this morning and find out!FREE Places limited. Please book in advance: The Wheatley Arms 01943 816496.

ilkley literature festival 13 with Skipton Building Society

Great fiction

Bernardine Evaristo © Hayley Madden

Nadeem Aslam

Apple Tree Yard: Louise DoughtyWed 9 Oct 7.30–8.30pm Rombalds Hotel, Ilkley LS29 9JGLouise Doughty discusses her gripping psychological thriller about a respected female scientist and the single, reckless decision that leads to her trial for murder. Doughty’s previous works include Whatever You Love, longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction.£5/3.

Alexander McCall SmithThu 10 Oct 7.30–8.30pm Kings Hall, Ilkley LS29 8HBAlexander McCall Smith discusses the many worlds of his novels including The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon, part of his best-selling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, and the latest instalment in the 44 Scotland Street series, Bertie’s Guide to Life and Mothers.£14/12.Sponsored by Hebridean Island Cruises.

Melvyn Bragg: Grace and MaryFri 11 Oct 7.30–8.30pm Kings Hall, Ilkley LS29 8HBMelvyn Bragg, highly acclaimedpresenter of The South Bank Show and Booker-nominated novelist, on his elegiac new novel, Grace and Mary. Mary’s memory is fading. Her son takes her back to her childhood – and discovers his own history.£12/10.

Beryl Bainbridge: Psiche HughesSat 12 Oct 1.30–2.30pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWPsiche Hughes, close friend of novelist Beryl Bainbridge, gives a highly personal account of Bainbridge’s life and work, including her fascinating life as a quirky, imaginative artist.£5/3.

Lion Heart: Justin Cartwright In ConversationSat 12 Oct 2.30–3.30pm St Margaret’s Hall, Ilkley LS29 9TZBooker-shortlisted author, Justin Cartwright, discusses the themes of Lion Heart, his latest novel, a tale of belief, identity, the nature of fiction and the power of romance.£5/3.This event begins with the resultsof the 2013 Festival Short StoryCompetition.

The Haunted Book: Jeremy Dyson:Sat 12 Oct 7.45–8.45pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWJeremy Dyson introduces The Haunted Book. A collection of ghost stories inspired by supposedly true hauntings.£6/4.

A.L. Kennedy: On WritingSun 13 Oct 2–3pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWA.L. Kennedy – one of the funniest and most alert of our contemporary authors –offers thoughts on blogs, essays, novels – and the excitement and fury of trying to turn thousands of words into a final piece.£6/4.

Val McDermid In ConversationSun 13 Oct 8–9pm Craiglands Hotel, Ilkley LS29 8RQVal McDermid, ‘acknowledged queen of the psychological thriller’ discusses her latest novel, Cross and Burn, the eighth in the unforgettable and gripping Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series.£7/5.

Book online www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk Box Office 01943 816714

Melvyn Bragg © ITV

A. L. Kennedy

Marriage Material: Sathnam SangheraMon 14 Oct 7.30–8.30pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWSathnam Sanghera introduces his novel, Marriage Material, an epic tale of family love and politics across the last 60 years viewed through the prism of a Wolverhampton corner shop.£5/3.

Blood & Beauty: Sarah Dunant In ConversationWed 16 Oct 7.30–8.30pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWSarah Dunant talks about why her latest Italian Renaissance novel focuses on the Borgias and discusses the evocative themes of power, corruption, sex, poison and passion which infuse her book.£6/4.

Sophie Hannah and Julie MyersonFri 18 Oct 7.30–8.30pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWSophie Hannah and Julie Myerson discuss their tense new thrillers, Hannah’s The Carrier and Myerson’s The Quickening, and reveal how they how they ratchet up the suspense.£6/4.

Kirsty WarkSat 19 Oct 4.45–5.45pm Kings Hall, Ilkley LS29 8HBKirsty Wark, one of the UK’s most experienced and prominent television journalists, discusses her upcoming fiction debut, The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle , and the Brontës’ sense of place in their novels, with Executive Director of the Brontë Society, Professor Ann Sumner.£14/12.

Penelope Fitzgerald: Hermione LeeSat 19 Oct 7.30–8.30pm Ilkley Playhouse LS29 8DWHermione Lee, biographer, critic, teacher of literature and President of Wolfson College Oxford, on Penelope Fitzgerald, a great 20th century English writer, whose novels were short, spare masterpieces.£5/3.

Rachel Joyce: PerfectSun 20 Oct 2.30–3.30pm St Margaret’s Hall, Ilkley LS29 9TZRachel Joyce, awarded New Writer of the Year 2013 for The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, explores her new book, Perfect, half gothic novel, half comic romance, set in 1972, in a world of crochet tank tops and wedges.£5/3.

Creative Writing MasterclassesWith A.L. Kennedy, Justin Cartwright, Michael Arditti, Julie Myerson, Simon ArmItage, Fred D’Aguiar.

TICKETS AND INFORMATIONFull details of all events plus online booking at www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.ukBox Office open from 27 August 01943 816714Events are in the centre of Ilkley a few minutes from the bus/train station.All venues accessible with nearby parking – see website for access details.

= sign language interpreter

PLUS

ilkley literature festival 13 with Skipton Building Society

Great fiction

The Ilkley Literature Festival Ltd. Registered In England and Wales Company No: 1061343 Ilkley Literature Festival is a registered charity Charity No: 501801

Sathnam Sanghera © John Angerson

Kirsty Wark © Jeff Overs BBC

Cover page: painting of Charlotte Brontë