Hay Festival Book Club

Jamaica, 1976. Seven gunmen storm Bob Marley’s house, machine guns blazing. The reggae superstar survives. The gunmen are never caught.

Marlon James’ dazzling novel reimagines an event that has become a modern myth. Spanning three decades, A Brief History of Seven Killings chronicles the lives of a host of unforgettable characters: slum kids, one-night stands, drug lords, girlfriends, gunmen, journalists and even the CIA.

Gripping and inventive, ambitious and mesmerising, this is a stunning new edition of one of the most acclaimed novels of the twenty-first century.

From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring — and surviving — an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him.

Speaking out for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, about the traumatic events of August 12, 2022, Rushdie answers violence with art, and reminds us of the power of words to make sense of the unthinkable. Knife is a gripping, intimate, and ultimately life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art — and finding the strength to stand up again.

One morning, ordinary salesman Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself transformed into a giant cockroach…

Metamorphosis, Kafka's novella of unease and black humour, was first published in 1915 and has become one of the twentieth century's most influential works of fiction. It is the longest of the stories Kafka considered complete and published during his lifetime.

As 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of Kafka's death, this is a chance to explore his enduring global legacy through a close reading of one of his most iconic works.

Winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize, this collection of short stories contains wry and defiant statements on power and the beautiful transience of youth.

Across eleven stories, Rachel Trezise effortlessly depicts the daily lives of communities in South Wales, offering a commentary on modern inequality, a bold challenge to our political systems, and a bridge across divides.

First published in 2006, it is as relevant today as ever before.

When David meets the sensual Giovanni in a bohemian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But his girlfriend’s return to Paris destroys everything. Unable to admit to the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened – while Giovanni’s life descends into tragedy.

Set in the 1950s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, this now-classic story of a fated love triangle explores, with uncompromising clarity, the conflicts between desire, conventional morality and sexual identity.

A selection of Wendy Cope’s most beloved poems to offer inspiration and comfort for the new year, The Orange and other poems blends laugh-out-loud funny with the deeply moving.

From the joy of falling in love to ways to help you deal with a painful break-up or the memories of people loved and lost, this is a book you will want to savour and share with all your friends.

My heart has made its mind up
And I’m afraid it’s you.