Italian day | Oxford Literary Festival

Martin Kemp

Leonardo’s 500th. What was all the Fuss About?
Oxford Martin School: Lecture Theatre 4:00pm Mon 30 Monday, 30 March 2020 See this event
John Took

Dante
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 2:00pm Tue 31 Tuesday, 31 March 2020 See this event
Claudia La Malfa

Raphael and the Antique
St Cross College 10:00am Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Diego Zancani

How we Fell in Love with Italian Food
Weston Lecture Theatre 12:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Jerry Toner

Infamy: The Crimes of Ancient Rome
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 12:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Catherine Fletcher

The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance
Weston Lecture Theatre 4:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event

Festival information:

I loved the whole atmosphere of the Oxford Literary Festival. From breakfast, alongside some of the attendees, who were talking books with each other a mile a minute, to the public event at The Sheldonian where everyone was lively and engaged – I felt I had arrived in a kind of literary heaven.

Every literary festival stays in an author’s mind for slightly individual reasons. I shall remember the Oxford festival for: - the size of the audience: at the top end of the range - their intelligence – this makes a huge difference for a speaker. In the Oxford audience I encountered many experts in the field my book covered and even one of the ambassadors I’d quoted - the beauty and the grace of the place itself – incomparable - the willingness of my hearers to buy books afterwards; I’ve never sold more.

It was a privilege for me to visit the festival to receive the Bodley Medal. As an incidental blessing I saw Oxford at its most mysterious and atmospheric. It was a day of piercing cold and as I walked through the twilight from the Sheldonian to Christ Church, the streets were empty and the whole city was shutting itself away. Christ Church was silent except for the footfall of unseen persons around corners and the sounds of evensong creeping from behind closed doors. For the first time I understood thoroughly the power of college ghost stories.

The Oxford Literary Festival is intellectual Viagra.

Often as an author, I only occasionally get to meet the public who buy and read my books. The Oxford Literary Festival was a special opportunity for me and certainly one of the highlights of my career – it was an honour I will never forget.

A stimulating and rewarding on-stage conversation; a lively informed and tolerant audience; privileged access to the great treasures of the Bodleian, and finally, wonderfully interesting dinner companions to help me conclude the best day I have enjoyed at any festival – anywhere.

I came away buzzing and reassured that we still have in this century a wide ranging community fascinated not just by famous authors (I’ve rarely seen so many concentrated in one place) but by challenging ideas and questions.

The night in Oxford was the most beautiful event I have ever done. Not just the spectacular setting (of the Sheldonian), but an unforgettable evening.

FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival partners & sponsors

Title partner

International radio partner

Festival ideas partner

Festival cultural partner

Partner of Jewish programme

Supporter of Italian programme

Supporters of the Irish programme

MIT Press. Sponsors of the programme of American literature and culture

Festival London hotel partner

Festival on-site and online bookseller

Festival academic partner

Patron donor for the programme of Irish literature and culture

Worcester College

Lincoln College

11th St Hilda's day at the festival

St Cross College

Alumni Office

Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design

Local radio partner

Regional media partner

Oxford University Images

K T Bruce Photography