Joanne Harris and Kevin Crossley-Holland Chaired by Suzi Feay

Two authors steeped in the world of fairy stories, myths and folk tales, Joanne Harris and Kevin Crossley-Holland, discuss these tales and what they can tell us about life.

What do they teach us about what it means to be human, how do they take us to other worlds, why do they fire our imagination, and what do they teach us about our culture and about other cultures?

Harris, author of the million-selling Chocolat, is also author of a series of fantasy novels based on Norse myth, including Runemarks and the Gospel of Loki.  Her latest novel is Honeycomb, described as ‘a honeycomb built from a hundred cells’. Each cell is a story in its own right. Together they follow the tale of the Lacewing King, a magical trickster and ruler of the Silken Folk. He meets many magical figures, including the bees that build the honeycomb and spin the nectar of dreams into stories. Harris was awarded the festival’s honorary fellowship in 2019.

Crossley-Holland is author of the award-winning Arthur trilogy. He has published retellings of traditional tales including The Penguin Book of Norse Myths and Between Worlds: Folktales of Britain and Ireland. His latest book is a retelling of the Arthurian legends, Arthur the Always King. He has translated Beowulf from the Anglo-Saxon, won the Carnegie Medal for Storm and was shortlisted for the same award for Gatty’s Tale.