Something for Everyone at Hastings LitFest
By Alison Steel
Hastings LitFest runs from August 31 to September 2, 2018 and features workshops, author talks, panel discussions, films, plays and appearances by actors Julian Sands and Amanda Burton. Many award-winning and best-selling authors will talk about the inspiration for their new books at this exciting three-day literary festival.
Sophie Hannah, who in 2014 with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, published a new Hercule Poirot novel and international best-seller The Monogram Murders, appears at Opus Theatre on September 1, following the recent publication of her third Poirot story The Mystery of Three Quarters. Hannah has written many psychological crime novels, which have been published in 49 languages and 51 territories, along with two short story collections and five collections of poetry.
Patrick Gale, author of last year’s BBC drama Man in an Orange Shirt and of novels including The Whole Day Through, the Richard and Judy bestsellers Notes From An Exhibition and A Perfectly Good Man and the Costa Book Awards-nominated A Place Called Winter is also appearing at LitFest. He will be launching his latest novel Take Nothing With You at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 21 August, before appearing at Hastings LitFest on 1 September at the White Rock Hotel.
Booker-shortlisted author Simon Mawer will be reading extracts from his new book Prague Spring when he appears at the Opus Theatre on 31 August. His novel Chimera won the Society of Authors’ McKitterick Prize for first novels in 1989. His 1997 novel Mendel’s Dwarf reached the Booker Prize’s last ten, and in 2009 his UK and US best-selling The Glass Room (described by The Guardian as “a thing of extraordinary beauty and symmetry”) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction and the Wingate Prize. His 2015 book Tightrope was chosen as Waterstones Novel of the
Month and won the 2016 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.
Internationally-renowned chamber ensemble the London Mozart Players is set to play
the Opus Theatre as part of a series of LitFest evening performances. This sextet of string players from the LMP will perform a programme on Friday August 31, charting
the development of string music and featuring Boccherini, Mozart and Tchaikovsky.
Founded in 1949, the LMP has enjoyed a long association with many of the world’s
finest musical personalities including Igor Stravinsky, Sir James Galway, Julian Lloyd Webber, Nicola Benedetti, John Suchet and Simon Callow. Tickets are £15 (£12 for under-18s).
Other evening events during the festival include The Importance of Being Earnest, at the Opus Theatre on Saturday, September 1 by comedy theatre group The Pantaloons, who aim to bring the fun into classical performance and to make plays accessible to everyone. Tickets are £13 (under-18s £10).
There may be limited availability for these events on the door but to avoid disappointment please book in advance.
• For more information visit hastingslitfest.org
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