Cheltenham Literature Festival : Day Two
Open reports back from the Cheltenham Literature Festival - day two
As the main poured down mercilessly on Cheltenham’s beautiful period buildings, I made my way into the town for the festival’s third day. Word was out that this year would be more successful than ever – already 100000 tickets had been sold and it was only Sunday. Only 100000 were sold in total last year.
A wide range of events were on offer. Guest Director of the day was the ever droll, inexorable Sandi Toksvig. She had assembled an impressive cast. Richard Hammond, Harry Hill and Alastair Campbell were all to be in attendance, plugging their books and offering their own brand of wit and wisdom.
Toksvig herself began the proceedings at 10am by interviewing bestselling author Kate Mosse about her new novel The Winter Ghosts. Engaging the audience with their lively banter the pair formed a formidable team. Their closely observed examination of the historic novel form was sharp, informative and easily accessible.
U.S. politics were next on the agenda with a discussion on Barrack Obama’s presidency one year on. BBC Today’s Justin Webb was joined by Cambridge historian David Reynolds as they questioned Obama’s speed and success in implementing the policies that brought him to power.
A serious, largely middle aged audience listened intently as doubt was cast on the president’s ability to live up to the transformative leader he promised to be. At times the arguments threatened to become too heavy, but this was alleviated by challenging questions from the audience. It seemed appropriate to raise these issues the same week that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The dark side of a writer’s life was probed in my last event, a talk on Wide Sargasso Sea novelist Jean Rhys. Two of Rhys’ biographers were joined on stage by the Actress Diana Quick who portrayed the alcoholic author on stage. There was a rather sombre atmosphere in the auditorium as the three women mediated on Rhys’ demons. While it was a slightly melancholic end to my literary weekend, it was also peculiarly refreshing to hear of Rhys’ courageous shunning of conventionality. Not for the first time did I think that may be this was the only way to truly be a writer.
It had been an invigorating weekend on so many levels, bringing together a rich array of talented authors, politicians and poets. I felt quite humbled to be in the presence of so many brilliant thinkers and was once more reminded of the vital role of literature as a tool for examining and challenging our fluctuating society and culture. It was quite inspirational.
The best is yet to come, however, with the festival program running until 18 October. Sky Arts' Book Show is the next highlight. Presented by the indomitable Mariella Frostrup, it kicks off on Wednesday 15th and promises an array of fascinating guests including Michael Palin, Ben Elton and Ian Rankin.
