Literary Calendar
Events for May 2014
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Deyan Sudjic on B is for Bauhaus, Daunt’s MaryleboneDeyan Sudjic on B is for Bauhaus, Daunt’s Marylebone
May 1, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Director of the Design Museum, Deyan Sudjic, will be in conversation with Stephen Bayley, author and design critic, as they consider the modern world through the lens of design. All reviews for B is for Bauhaus. More information |
The Royal Society and science fictionThe Royal Society and science fiction
May 2, 2014 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Farah Mendlesohn is head of department for English, Communication, Film and Media at Anglia Ruskin University. The lone (mad) scientist is a common trope in science fiction, but hidden away is a fascination with secret and semi-secret societies who work for the future of all mankind. This talk will look at the representation of the [&hellip |
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Irvine Welsh with Alex Clark, Southbank CentreIrvine Welsh with Alex Clark, Southbank Centre
May 5, 2014 @ 7:45 pm
The launch of Irvine Welsh’s new novel. Featuring murder, depravity and revenge – and enormous amounts of food and sex - The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins taps into two great obsessions of our time – how we look and where we live – and tells a story so subversive and dark it blacks out the Florida [&hellip |
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Louise Doughty on okapis, London ZooLouise Doughty on okapis, London Zoo
May 7, 2014 @ 6:30 pm
ZSL conservation scientists and keepers team up with leading writers to talk about the animals in ZSL London Zoo. Alongside the animals, the writers speak imaginatively about their responses to them and ZSL’s experts talk about their ecology and conservation. The audience will be able to ask questions of author, scientist and keeper and have [&hellip Neel Mukherjee on The Lives of Others, Southbank CentreNeel Mukherjee on The Lives of Others, Southbank Centre
May 7, 2014 @ 7:30 pm
Neel Mukherjee reads from his powerful new book, The Lives of Others. Set in Calcutta in 1967, it tells the story of Supratik, who has become dangerously involved in extremist political activity, compelled by an idealistic desire to change his life and the world around him. All he leaves behind him is a note. For the [&hellip |
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Val McDermid on crime fiction, Kings PlaceVal McDermid on crime fiction, Kings Place
May 12, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Crime Writer Val McDermid and Group Analyst Sue Einhorn explore the world of crime fiction where human taboos of murder, incest, violence are broken and the human struggle with mortality is violently exposed. Award-winning crime writer Val McDermid is the founder and life force behind the Harrogate Crime Festival and is a powerful, fascinating presence in her own right. [&hellip |
Changing Sexual Mores with Shereen El Feki, Asia HouseChanging Sexual Mores with Shereen El Feki, Asia House
May 13, 2014 @ 6:45 pm
Sex is entwined with religion, tradition, gender and politics across Asia. It makes the perfect lens for examining the region’s complex social landscape. This evening, we take a serious but illuminating look at dating, love, marriage, divorce and LGBT culture in the Middle East, India and Pakistan. Shereen El Feki works on issues related to health and [&hellip |
John Keay on Midnight’s Descendants, Asia HouseJohn Keay on Midnight’s Descendants, Asia House
May 14, 2014 @ 6:45 pm
If British India had not been partitioned in 1947, its population would today be the world’s largest. At around 1.5 billion, midnight’s descendants South Asians already outnumber Europeans and Chinese; and they are growing faster than either. They comprise all the peoples of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Midnight’s Descendants: South Asia from [&hellip |
Orlando Figes on Revolutionary Russia 1891-1991, Daunt’s MaryleboneOrlando Figes on Revolutionary Russia 1891-1991, Daunt’s Marylebone
May 15, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
The problem of Russia dominated the 20th century. Perhaps the finest modern historian of Russia tells the story in an illuminating short history. More information |
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Ben Macintyre on A Spy Among Friends, Daunt’s MaryleboneBen Macintyre on A Spy Among Friends, Daunt’s Marylebone
May 19, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Ben Macintyre on A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians in the early years of the Cold War. Philby’s two closest friends in the intelligence world, Nicholas Elliott of MI6 and [&hellip Tim Butcher, Claire Tomalin, Ned Beauman at 5×15, The TabernacleTim Butcher, Claire Tomalin, Ned Beauman at 5×15, The Tabernacle
May 19, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Tim Butcher, Claire Tomalin, Ned Beauman. More information An evening with Jerry White, Waterstone’s PiccadillyAn evening with Jerry White, Waterstone’s Piccadilly
May 19, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
The historian will be discussing Zeppelin Nights: London in the First World War looking at the dramatic changes WW1 brought and the intrinsic determination and character of Londoners. Event is free, but please reserve your place by contacting piccadilly@waterstones.com or the store on 0207 851 2400. |
New Pan-Asian Fiction, Asia HouseNew Pan-Asian Fiction, Asia House
May 20, 2014 @ 6:45 pm
A special preview of three new novels before they are published. Romesh Gunesekera will talk about Noontide Toll, a collection of stories which reveal a Sri Lanka moving forward after nearly 3 decades of conflict. Xialou Guo is one of Granta’s 2013 Best Young Authors. Her new novel, I Am China, is the story of young lovers separated during the [&hellip Michael Schmidt and Michael Wood on the novel, LRBMichael Schmidt and Michael Wood on the novel, LRB
May 20, 2014 @ 8:00 pm
Quoting from the letters, diaries, reviews, and essays of novelists and drawing on their biographies, Schmidt’s The Novel – A Biography (Harvard) invites us into the creative dialogues between authors and between books, and suggests how these dialogues have shaped the development of the novel in English. Michael Schmidt is professor of Poetry at Glasgow University and [&hellip |
Tim Butcher on The Trigger, Waterstone’s PiccadillyTim Butcher on The Trigger, Waterstone’s Piccadilly
May 21, 2014 @ 6:30 pm
Tim Butcher will discuss The Trigger, the story of the teenage assassin who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand and triggered the First World War. Tickets £5/£3 (Waterstones Cardholders available online via Waterstones.com/tickets or in store) On Tove Jansson with Ali Smith and Thomas Teal, RSLOn Tove Jansson with Ali Smith and Thomas Teal, RSL
May 21, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Best remembered and much loved for her Moomin characters, the Finnish writer Tove Jansson (1914-2001) is now also being celebrated for her novels and short stories for adults. But where do books for children end, and books for adults begin? Can an author’s writing invite the states of adulthood and childhood to merge and address [&hellip Charlotte Mendelson and Sathnam Sanghera, Keats HouseCharlotte Mendelson and Sathnam Sanghera, Keats House
May 21, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Sixteen-year-old Marina flees the pressures of life with her Hungarian relatives, to find that a traditional English boarding school does not offer the sense of belonging she anticipated. Following the death of his father, Arjan discovers that a return to life among his Sikh family reveals truths about his life and background that he didn’t [&hellip |
Andrew Motion hosts Poetry in the CityAndrew Motion hosts Poetry in the City
May 22, 2014 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Poet in the City present an evening of poetry hosted by Andrew Motion. Celebrating 10 years of the Creative Writing School at Royal Holloway University, this special event will showcase some of the most exciting voices to emerge from Bedford Square in recent years. Andrew Motion will read alongside fellow poet Jo Shapcott, as they [&hellip Andres Neuman on Talking To Ourselves, Waterstone’s PiccadillyAndres Neuman on Talking To Ourselves, Waterstone’s Piccadilly
May 22, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
The celebrated author and winner of the National Critics Prize will be discussing his newest title Talking to Ourselves. Event is free, but please reserve your place by contacting piccadilly@waterstones.com or the store on 0207 851 |
Karl Ove Knausgaard, Waterstone’s PiccadillyKarl Ove Knausgaard, Waterstone’s Piccadilly
May 23, 2014 @ 6:30 pm
The bestselling Norwegian author will be signing copies of the exhilarating and terrifying Boyhood Island the third book of the My Struggle cycle Javier Cercas discusses The Outlaws with Paul Preston, LRBJavier Cercas discusses The Outlaws with Paul Preston, LRB
May 23, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Javier Cercas rose to fame in the English-speaking world with The Soldiers of Salamis which won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2004 and was one of our early bestsellers. He continued his exploration of modern Spanish history with The Anatomy of a Moment, a work of non-fiction that investigated the failed coup of 1981. [&hellip |
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Meet Seth Macfarlane, PiccadillyMeet Seth Macfarlane, Piccadilly
May 27, 2014 @ 6:30 pm
Animator, writer, producer, director, actor, singer and creator of Family Guy & Ted will be signing copies of his debut novel A Million Ways to Die in the West. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment, access to the queue will be limited & is on a strictly first come first served basis. No posed photography. Seth MacFarlane will signed copies [&hellip Michael Cunningham on The Snow Queen, Waterstones HampsteadMichael Cunningham on The Snow Queen, Waterstones Hampstead
May 27, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
The Pulitzer-prise winning author of The Hours discusses his new novel The Snow Queen Edmund White on Inside a Pearl, Southbank CentreEdmund White on Inside a Pearl, Southbank Centre
May 27, 2014 @ 7:45 pm
Master memoirist Edmund White reads his intriguing memoirs from his time spent in Paris. All reviews for Inside A Pearl: My Years in Paris by Edmund White Effortlessly mixing serious artistic and historical concerns with the soap opera of urban life, Edmund White is a master memoirist. InInside A Pearl, White turns his attention to the [&hellip |
Siri Hustvedt talks to Alex Clark, Waterstone’s PiccadillySiri Hustvedt talks to Alex Clark, Waterstone’s Piccadilly
May 28, 2014 @ 6:30 pm
The internationally acclaimed author of What I Loved will be discussing her new novel The Blazing World with journalist Alex Clark. Tickets £5/£3 Waterstones Cardholders available online via Waterstones.com/tickets or in store Another Great Day at Sea, Geoff Dyer, Alain de Botton at 5×15, The TabernacleAnother Great Day at Sea, Geoff Dyer, Alain de Botton at 5×15, The Tabernacle
May 28, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Alain de Botton talks to Geoff Dyer about Another Great Day at Sea. Visual Editions is delighted to announce Another Day at Sea by Geoff Dyer, the much-anticipated first title from Writers in Residence; a collectable set of books that bring together some of the greatest writers and photographers on the planet to reveal the normally faceless [&hellip
May 28, 2014 @ 7:30 pm
Book Slam in May will be ineffably fun and cool. NED BEAUMAN, author of ‘Boxer, Beetle’ and ‘The Teleportation Accident’ and one of Granta’s latest batch of the Best of Young British Novelist’s introduces us to his new novel, ‘Glow’. He’s fun and cool. ELVIS MCGONAGALL is the smartest, sharpest and laugh-out-loud funniest poet either side of Hadrian’s [&hellip |
Siri Hustvedt talks about The Blazing World with Sarah Thornton, LRBSiri Hustvedt talks about The Blazing World with Sarah Thornton, LRB
May 29, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
In Siri Hustvedt’s latest novel The Blazing World, artist Harriet Burden, consumed by fury at the lack of recognition she has received from the New York art establishment, embarks on an experiment: she hides her identity behind three male fronts who exhibit her work as their own, to universal acclaim. ‘All intellectual endeavours’ Burden herself remarks [&hellip |
Philipp Meyer on The Son, Waterstones Trafalgar SquarePhilipp Meyer on The Son, Waterstones Trafalgar Square
May 30, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
The author of American Rust will discuss his bewitching new novel The Son. Read all reviews for The Son |
Lorrie Moore on Bark, Southbank CentreLorrie Moore on Bark, Southbank Centre
May 31, 2014 @ 7:00 pm
Lorrie Moore reads from Bark, her first collection of short stories in 15 years. All reviews for Bark by Lorrie Moore In Debarking, a newly divorced man tries to keep his wits about him as the US prepares to invade Iraq. In Foes, a political argument goes grotesquely awry as the events of 9/11 unexpectedly manifest at a [&hellip |