Claire Harman Interviewed by Claire Armitstead

Biographer Claire Harman tells the fascinating story of the gruesome murder of Lord William Russell and its impact on leading writers of the day.

The accused blamed the crime on his reading, fuelling an ongoing debate about appalling damage ‘low’ books could do. Harman details the controversy around William Harrison Ainsworth’s Jack Sheppard, the murder of Russell and the way it affected many of the leading writers of the day, including Dickens and Thackeray. Harman unpacks the evidence, reveals the gossip and the surprisingly literary background to this gory crime.

Here she talks to Claire Armitstead, associate editor, culture, of the Guardian.

This event is part of St Hilda’s Day at the festival, a series of talks featuring graduates of St Hilda’s College.