Don’t be fooled by the incessant rain and your resurgent rheumatism, the summer literary festival season is upon us. The line-up at the Hay Festival is old news; the hotels of Edinburgh are preparing; and anticipation fills tea rooms from Warwick to St. Ives.
The festival market is flooded, but there is one new festival to which I will draw your attention. It is in London, so you may be able to go to it at the drop of a hat. The team responsible for Way With Words (the very highly regarded show in Devon) are taking over the canopy of Opera Holland Park from 18th to 20th May. It will be more relaxed than the flesh-pits of Cheltenham, Oxford and Aldeburgh, offering only a few choice speakers per day.
Festival regulars such as P.D. James, Penelope Lively, Maureen Lipman and John McCarthy will attend, together with men of the moment, Jeremy Paxman and Evan Davies.
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