Stars descend on Charleston

SOME of the biggest names in the world of literature, the press, the arts and the law will be gathering at Charleston over the next ten days.

The programme for Charleston Festival 2015 includes novelist David Lodge, biographer Antonia Fraser, Gardener’s World presenter Monty Don, lawyer Helena Kennedy QC, director of human rights charity Liberty Shami Chakrabarti discussing Magna Carta, military historian Antony Beevor, painter and sculptor Maggi Hambling, Brighton Festival’s guest artistic director Ali Smith, the multi-award-winning novelist Colm Toibin, playwright Tom Stoppard, and economist Amartya Sen who won the inaugural Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize.

There’s an insight into the Bloomsbury world as Henrietta Garnett discusses her father, former Charleston resident David ‘Bunny’ Garnett, with his biographer Sarah Knights on Wednesday, May 20.

On Thursday, May 21 four events span political debate, the effects of war on young men and journalism today with double Booker-winner Peter Carey and chair of the new Independent Press Standards Organisation Alan Moses.

Irish actress Fiona Shaw will join TS Eliot’s biographer Robert Crawford on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25 to read some of the great American poet’s most celebrated works, including a section from his epoch-defining poem The Waste Land in The Young Old Possum from 5pm.

Fashion designers Erdem Moralioglu, Roksanda Ilincic and Bella Freud will discuss The Language Of Fashion hosted by the editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar Justine Picardie on Sunday, May 24 at 5pm.

Earlier that day at 2.30pm writer William Nicholson introduces his new novel The Lovers Of Amherst, inspired by the life of Emily Dickinson, with actor Juliet Stevenson reading a selection of Dickinson’s poetry.

Stevenson will also collaborate with the London Conchord Ensemble and actors’ group Action To The Word from 8pm in a specially commissioned work Rhythm Of Silence exploring the links between Virginia Woolf’s The Waves and Benjamin Britten’s Phantasy Quartet.

For the full programme visit www.charleston.org.uk/festivals. For tickets call 01273 709709.

Carole Buchan