Friday 1 April 2022

Fitzroy Morrissey

A Short History of Islamic CANCELLED
St Cross College 10:00am Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Emma Smith

Portable Magic: The History of our Long Love Affair with Books
Weston Lecture Theatre 10:00am Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Jaap Robben

Voices of Europe: Summer Brother CANCELLED
Lincoln College 10:00am Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Peter Hain Interviewed by Matthew Stadlen

A Pretoria Boy: The Story of South Africa’s Public Enemy Number One
Sheldonian Theatre 12:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Jeremy Morris

A People’s Church: A History of the Church of England
St Cross College 12:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Johnjoe McFadden

Life is Simple: How Occam’s Razor Set Science Free and Unlocked the Universe
Lincoln College 12:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Philip Lymbery Interviewed by Nick Higham

Dead Zone: Where the Wild Things Were
Blackwell’s bookshop 12:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Christian Jennings

Syndrome K: How Italy resisted the Final Solution CANCELLED
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 12:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Joanne Harris and Kevin Crossley-Holland Chaired by Suzi Feay

Fairy Tales and Myths: Lessons in Life
Weston Lecture Theatre 12:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Ami Bouhassane

Lee Miller: A life with Food, Friends and Recipes
Blackwell’s bookshop 2:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Jem Poster and Sarah Burton

Writing the Book you Want to Write CANCELLED
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 2:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Alastair Lack

The Oxford of Morse, Lewis and Endeavour SOLD OUT
St John’s College 2:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Martin Rees Interviewed by Matthew Stadlen

On the Future: Prospects for Humanity and The End of Astronauts
Sheldonian Theatre 2:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Amber Guinness Interviewed by Alison Gomm

A House Party in Tuscany: Recipes, Stories and Art from Arniano
St Cross College 2:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Rebecca Abrams

Made in Medieval England: the Church, the Jews and the Forging of English Antisemitism
Bodleian: Divinity School 2:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Rachael Wiseman Interviewed by Suzi Feay

Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life
Lincoln College 2:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Jeremy Robson, Martin Reed and Andy Croft

A Celebration of Vernon Scannell
Weston Lecture Theatre 2:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Richard Girling Interviewed by Philip Lymbery

The Longest Story: How Humans have Loved, Hated and Misunderstood other Species
Blackwell’s bookshop 4:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Martin Sixsmith

Voices of Europe. The War Of Nerves: Inside the Cold War Mind
Weston Lecture Theatre 4:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Julia Parry

The Shadowy Third: Love, Letters, and Elizabeth Bowen
Bodleian: Divinity School 4:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Muir Gray Interviewed by Nick Higham

Increase your Brainability and Reduce your Risk of Dementia
Sheldonian Theatre 4:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Jane Stevenson

The Light of Italy: The Life and Times of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino
Randolph Hotel: Ballroom 4:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Anni Domingo Interviewed by Valerie Brandes

Breaking The Maafa Chain
St Cross College 4:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Christopher de Bellaigue Interviewed by Lucian Hudson

Voices of Europe. The Lion House: The Coming of a King
Lincoln College 4:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Robin Dunbar

How Religion Evolved and Why it Endures
Lincoln College 6:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Duncan Minshull and Will Self

Where My Feet Fall: Going for A Walk in Twenty Stories SOLD OUT
Blackwell’s bookshop 6:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
John Crace

A Farewell to Calm: The New Normal Survival Guide
Bodleian: Divinity School 6:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Helen Rappaport Interviewed by Matthew Stadlen

In Search of Mary Seacole: The Making of a Cultural Icon
St Cross College 6:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Jeremy Black Interviewed by Triona Adams

The Importance of Being Poirot
Randolph Hotel: Ballroom 6:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Donna Leon Interviewed by Peter Kemp

Vice-chancellor’s Lecture: Give Unto Others
Sheldonian Theatre 6:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
Jonathan Brent Interviewed by Richard Ovenden

The Jewish Archives of Lithuania
Weston Lecture Theatre 6:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event
George Carey

Festival Evensong
Pusey House: Chapel 6:00pm Fri 1 Friday, 1 April 2022 See this event

Festival information:

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.