BBC World Service to broadcast live from this year’s festival

BBC events include Ian McKellen, Elif Shafak and Garry Kasparov

Elif ShafakOur of our greatest actors Sir Ian McKellen and the leading Turkish writer Elif Shafak are to feature in a series of BBC World Service events broadcast from this year's FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival. McKellen will talk to the BBC's Anu Anand about his life and work in a live event, while Shafak, pictured right, will join a panel discussion on identity for a recording of the BBC World Service The Forum programme. Other live broadcasts from the festival will feature US writers Jessica Harris and Jewell Parker Rhodes on food, spirituality and female African-American identity, and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov and Ethiopian writer and historian Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate in a discussion about world leaders. The BBC's Owen Bennett Jones will also host a recording of the BBC's Newshour Extra on the subject: should Britain be ashamed of its colonial past? All the BBC events are free to attend but places are limited and tickets must be booked through the festival box office. A pocket guide to the festival is available to pick up at Blackwell's Bookshop. You can download the digital version of the pocket guide and the main brochure from the website now.

Grand National winner joins line-up

Two-time Grand National winner Richard Dunwoody is to speak about his life as an adventurer following his retirement as a jump jockey. Dunwoody, who successfully trekked to the South Pole on a route that Shackleton failed to complete, is joined by travel writer and adventurer Jonny Bealby and foreign correspondent Christina Lamb for a discussion on exploring the danger zones. Tickets for this family event are available at a special price of £6. Dacia MarainiOther new events recently added to the festival line-up include two well-known Italian novelists, Dacia Maraini and Francesca Marciano. Maraini, pictured left, is one of Italy's most celebrated playwrights and novelists and talks about her life in writing. Marciano,who writes in English, talks about her new collection of short stories, The Other Language.

2023

2022

The Oxford Literary Festival sponsors, donors & partners

The Telegraph Festival media partner University of Oxford European Union Supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the UK Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Oxford Mathematics Spanish Embassy The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture Cervantes Institute, London The Cervantes Institute, London elBullifoundation Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Compassion in World Farming Pasture to Plate Oxford Business College Where learning meets opportunity: education partners of the festival Old Bank Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Old Parsonage Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Oxford Brookes University Oxford International Centre for Publishing Critchleys Accountants to the festival Confucius Institute Voltaire Foundation Felicity Bryan Associates Goldmoney Properties Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024 Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Jewish Book Week Partner of Oxford Literary Festival Jim Mellon Miles Young Tim and Marion Stevenson Martin and Elise Becket Smith Ian and Carol Sellars David Isaac Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Other donors Yale University Press London New College New College founded 1379 Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314 Worcester College Worcester College founded 1714 Lincoln College Lincoln College founded 1427 Trinity College Trinity College founded 1555 Magdalen College Magdalen College founded 1458 Reuben College Reuben College founded in 2019 Pusey House Founded 1884 Brasenose College Brasenose College founded in 1512 New Dutch Writing Human Ecology Project MACROVegan Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily Paul Bloomfield Ltd University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office The Sheldonian Theatre Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Oxford University Images Oxford University Images CAV Oxford The Litmus Partnership Schoolreaders Windrush Group The Oxford Times BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner Conference Oxford Ox in a Box OX magazine