The power of food to stimulate contrasting emotions is well documented.  It can fuel cultural pride, promote conviviality and provide a sense of security.  Equally, culinary occasions can prove to be isolating, reminding us we do not belong and stirring up memories best forgotten. Join Donna Leon, Joanne Harris and Jessica Harris to discuss the evocative role that food plays in fiction.

Leon is best known for her Venetian-based crime novels featuring the food-loving Commissario Guido Brunetti. Harris is author of 11 best-selling novels including Chocolat, which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Johnny Depp. Jessica Harris, author of 11 cookery books documenting the foodways of the African Diaspora, holds the Ray Charles Chair in African-American Material Culture at Dillard University, New Orleans.

This session is part of a series presented by Oxford Gastronomica, Oxford Brookes University’s centre for the study of food, drink and culture.