Bridport Literary Festival: Day 1
Event Details
Day One: Sunday 02 November
Event 1 | Martin Maudsley
11.30am at Sladers Yard, West Bay Road, West Bay DT6 6EL
Tickets: £12.00 (£28.00 with a 1 course lunch) THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT
Professional storyteller Martin Maudsley has been researching and breathing new life into local folktales and folklore inspired by Dorset’s rolling hills, ancient barrows, and dramatic coastline. In this event, commissioned by the late Festival director, Tanya Bruce-Lockhart, Martin collaborates with musicians Lucy Roberts on fiddle and Robert Lee on accordion, in a heartwarming interweaving of Dorset tales and tunes. An immersive performance, where music and storytelling intertwine to celebrate Dorset’s rich heritage of nature, culture, and creative spirit.
Event 2 | Andrew O’Hagan | On Friendship
12 noon at The Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY
Tickets: £16.00 from Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901 or online via the Electric Palace website Andrew O’Hagan
From the bestselling author of Mayflies and Caledonian Road, a heart-enriching celebration of what makes us great: our friends. In our lives, our friendships are rich and varied, shared with those with two legs, or four legs. They come dressed in the simplicity of childhood or the professional attire of adult life – either spanning decades, or only fleeting. In these gorgeous personal reflections, Andrew O’Hagan explores friendship through music and poetry, memory and history, illuminating the many ways and reasons that people come together, and how our lives are all the better because we do.
Event 3 | Simon Hart | Ungovernable
2pm at The Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY
Tickets: £16.00 from Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901 or online via the Electric Palace website Simon Hart
Former Chief Whip and MP Simon Hart had a front-row seat to the most turbulent times in Britain’s recent political history, from negotiations around Brexit, the impact of Liz Truss’s forty-nine-day premiership, to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Simon witnessed successive dramas unfold, many of which involved an extensive build-up, a complicated process and a noisy and vitriolic public commentary. Revisiting diaries kept throughout his career, Ungovernable is an insider’s story and unflinching look into the heart of British politics from the centre of government.
Event 4 | Tracy Borman | The Stolen Crown
4pm at The Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY
Tickets: £16.00 from Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901 or online via the Electric Palace website Tracy Borman
Thrilling new research reveals that contrary to accepted belief, Elizabeth I died without formally naming an heir. James Stuart, in fact, seized the throne illegally, and history was re-written under his orders. This was a moment that changed the monarchy forever. The lie that began Stuart rule in England played a significant role in setting the monarchy on a path toward crisis. Kings and queens reigned but could no longer rule and power shifted from the monarchy to parliament forever. In The Stolen Crown, Tracy Borman combines brilliant writing and vigorous research to tell a timeless story about iconic women, espionage, conspiracy and power.
Event 5 | John Suchet | In Search of Beethoven
6pm at The Electric Palace, 35 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY
Tickets: £16.00 from Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901 or online via the Electric Palace website John Suchet
Dame Harriet Walter is celebrated as a stage and film actress as well as more recently for her television portrayals in Succession and Killing Eve. Having played most of Shakespeare’s female characters, in her new book She Speaks, Harriet audaciously reads between the lines and lets these female characters speak their minds. Sometimes playfully and sometimes searchingly, and with brilliant insight, she imagines what Lady Macbeth, Gertrude, Cleopatra, Juliet and Ophelia were really thinking and reveals that Shakespeare is very much a man for all times as well as his time.
More information about the festival can be found at http://www.bridlit.com
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