Literature | Oxford Literary Festival

Penelope Lively Interviewed by Chris Patten

Chancellor’s Lecture: Life and Work
Sheldonian Theatre 6:00pm Fri 27 Friday, 27 March 2020 See this event
Alastair Lack

Literary Oxford with Alastair Lack
St John’s College 2:00pm Sat 28 Saturday, 28 March 2020 See this event
Declan Kiberd

Childhood and the Irish Writer
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 10:00am Sun 29 Sunday, 29 March 2020 See this event
Ros Ballaster, Anna Louise Senkiw, Ben Wilkinson-Turnbull and Catriona Cannon

The Edgeworth Collection: A Masterclass
Weston Lecture Theatre 12:00pm Sun 29 Sunday, 29 March 2020 See this event
Alastair Lack

Oxford Poets with Alastair Lack
St John’s College 2:00pm Sun 29 Sunday, 29 March 2020 See this event
Marion Turner

Chaucer: A European Life
Oxford Martin School: Lecture Theatre 2:00pm 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
Alastair Lack

Literary Oxford with Alastair Lack
St John’s College 2:00pm Wed 1 Wednesday, 1 April 2020 See this event
Alessandron Bianchi

Art and Literature in Print: The Publishing Market in Tokugawa Japan
Weston Lecture Theatre 4:00pm Wed 1 Wednesday, 1 April 2020 See this event
Christina Hardyment

Novel Houses: Twenty Famous Fictional Dwellings
Weston Lecture Theatre 10:00am Thu 2 Thursday, 2 April 2020 See this event
John Carey Interviewed by Bernard O’Donoghue

A Little History of Poetry
Weston Lecture Theatre 10:00am Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Janice Hadlow

The Other Bennet Sister
Bodleian: Divinity School 2:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Helen Taylor

Why Women Read Fiction: The Stories of our Lives
St Cross College 4:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Christopher Tugendhat

A History of Britain Through Books 1900-1964
Bodleian: Divinity School 12:00pm Sat 4 Saturday, 4 April 2020 See this event
Alastair Lack

Literary Oxford with Alastair Lack
St John’s College 2:00pm Sat 4 Saturday, 4 April 2020 See this event
Arthur Miller

The Artist in the Machine: The World of AI-Powered Creativity
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 2:00pm Sat 4 Saturday, 4 April 2020 See this event

Festival information:

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.

The Oxford Literary Festival is intellectual Viagra.

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.

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

The Oxford Literary Festival has in my mind become the leading literary festival of the year. The organisation, the roster of speakers, the ambience and the sheer quality of it all is superb. May it now go from strength to strength each year stretching its ambition more and more. I believe it will.

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.

The Oxford festival is the most elegant and atmospheric of literary festivals. It’s a pleasure to both attend and perform there.

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