Ronan Bennett
The Irish novelist (Havoc in it's Third Year, The Catastrophist), winner of several literary prizes and scriptwriter (The Hamburg Cell, Love Lives), talks about his life, his books and his personal experiences with the IRA, as well as about his latest novel set in St Petersburg in 1914, ZUGZWANG, published in instalments in The Observer newspaper and which can be read on the web page. The academic and poet Adriana Bebiano is assistant Professor of English and Irish Literature at the University of Coimbra.
Vikram Seth
Please note: The introduction to this lecture is in Spanish.
Colombian writer and journalist Laura Restrepo speaks to Indian writer and poet Vikram Seth about his works An Equal Music, A Suitable Boy and Two Lives.
Eric Hobsbawm
Please note: The introduction to this lecture is in Spanish. The rest of the lecture is delivered in English.
Eric Hobsbawm, the great British historian discusses the international mobilisation of intellectuals in favour of the Republic during the Civil War. Eric Hobsbawm is Emeritus Professor of Social and Economic History at Birkbeck College in the University of London. Amongst his numerous books, Age of Extremes. The Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991 [1995], the series made up by The Age of Revolution: Europe 1789-1848 [1997], The Age of Capital, 1848-1875 [1998] and The Age of Empire, 1875-1914 [1998], as well as his more recent The New Century (2000) and Bandits (2001).
Doris Lessing
Doris Lessing, author of The Golden Notebook, one of the world's greatest living writers, discusses her literary career with Marianne Ponsford, Director of the cultural magazine Arcadia. The author, who has been awarded numerous international literary prizes (Somerset Maugham Award from the Society of Authors, Prix Médicis, Austrian State Prize for European Literature, German Federal Republic Shakespeare Prize, Mondello Prize, Grinzane Cavour Prize, etc.), is a prolific writer and her most recent novels are The Sweetest Dream and the collection of stories The Grandmothers. She received the Príncipe de Asturias Prize in 2001.
Chris Stewart, Manuel Pimentel
Please note: This conversation is conducted entirely in Spanish.
Farmer and writer Chris Stewart, author of the international bestseller Driving Over Lemons. An Optimist in Andalucía, with over a million copies sold and translated into fifteen languages, will speak in Spanish to Manuel Pimentel (writer, businessman, ex-minister and head of Almuzara publishing group) about his delightful and surprising work.
Martin Amis
Please note: The introduction to this lecture is in Spanish.
British writer Martin Amis discusses his life and work with the writer Carmen Posadas (Pequeñas infamias, Juego de niños). The author, amongst other works, of Experience, Money and London Fields, Martin Amis is considered one of the most original contemporary novelists.
Ian McEwan
Please note: The introduction to this lecture is in Spanish. However, the rest of the conversation is conducted in English.
Mexican writer and journalist Juan Villoro talks to one of the most important contemporary British writers, Booker-winner Ian McEwan, author of works such as Amsterdam, Enduring Love, Atonement and Saturday.
Bob Geldof
The charismatic rock star and founder of Live Aid talks about music, Ireland and Africa: the G8 leaders, aid programmes and trade tariffs with Peter Florence, Director of the Hay Festival.