Rover tickets for the ninth Alderney Literary Festival sold out within 24 hours of being offered online, with just a few places for individual author talks remaining.
“Our prices have not risen since 2019 thanks to the support of our generous Festival sponsor, Polygon,” said Festival organiser Isabel Picornell. “We’re close to matching last year’s rapid sell-out.”
With its theme of ‘Weaving the historical narrative’, the Festival brings together literary minds at the top of their game to explore how great narratives interlink known facts with their consequences.
Guest authors are Ellen Alpsten (The Last Princess), Anna Abney (The Prisoner of Measham Hall), Lesley Downer (The Shortest History of Japan), Clare Mulley (Agent Zo), Rosie Garland (The Fates), Leo Vardiashvili (Hard by a Great Forest), Flora Johnston (The Paris Peacemakers), and Eleni Kyriacou (The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou).
Joining these are Simon Scarrow (pictured), a Sunday Times best-selling author of historical fiction whose idea for a World War II series took root during his first visit to Alderney, and Lavie Tidhar, who works across genres combining thrillers with poetry, science fiction and historical material.
Festival Chairman is Roman empire series author Anthony Riches.
The Festival attracts visitors from Guernsey, Jersey and overseas but this year a surge of interest on Alderney itself has led to a doubling of the number of Book Clubs seeking involvement, with six clubs offering ‘meet-the-author’ sessions at local venues free of charge.
Polygon Collective chairman Martin Belcher commented: “The Festival has gone from strength to strength over the years and is a huge testament to the dedication, hard work and meticulous planning that takes place behind the scenes which we are proud to be supporting.”
