Politics

Acclaimed historian Antony Beevor weaves a tale as seductive as Rasputin himself as he presents his unmissable new book. Beevor combines forensic research with gripping storytelling to unpick how Rasputin – a barely literate Siberian peasant – wove an intricate web of seduction and superstition through the Imperial household, resulting in the downfall of a dynasty. Beevor challenges us to question whether Rasputin was an impressive visionary, an accomplished fraudster or in fact a victim of history. His previous masterful best-sellers Stalingrad and D-Day: The Battle for Normandy position Beevor as one of the great military historians of our times. This is a must for anyone fascinated by Russian history, the forces that shape great empires, and lovers of compelling true stories.

Back by popular demand, bestselling author Ben Macintyre brings a fascinating exploration of international espionage to Hay Festival. McIntyre has spent his career chronicling secret intelligence and the hidden lives of some of history’s most intriguing figures. He profiles the small and select list of world-changing spies: Oleg Gordievsky, Kim Philby, the Bletchley Park Code Breakers. And he reveals the important and far-reaching impact when espionage works (and when it doesn’t). A real treat for McIntyre’s existing fans, as well as anyone intrigued by the hidden forces and extraordinary people who’ve secretly shaped world events.

As a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Amol Rajan makes a living out of the way he speaks. In an exclusive session for Hay Festival, Rajan kicks off a campaign to get young people talking too. Improving a child’s speaking skills is proven to directly improve their life chances, and the biggest transformations can be seen in children from the poorest backgrounds. Rajan reveals his own oracy experiment and is joined by some surprise guests in his mission to help those from the toughest beginnings find a better life through the power of speaking.

Everyone expected Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah and Israeli Maoz Inon to be enemies. Instead, the peace activists and social entrepreneurs forged a bond of brotherhood, connected by their belief in equality, dignity and the idea that Palestinians and Israelis can work together peacefully for a better future. In this moving and empathic event, the pair talk to the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet about their book The Future Is Peace, a transformative journey across the holy land and a bold call for hope, humanity, and empathy.

Jeremy Bowen is one of the foremost journalists of our time, and has built a career from making sense of the complexities of conflict. Now, as the BBC’s International Editor we turn to him to analyse the prospects for peace in the Middle East – a region he’s lived and breathed for the past 30 years. Bowen also talks candidly about the difficulties of being a journalist at a time when ideas of truth and free reporting are under attack. And he poses the most difficult question of all: how do you get to the truth in a post-truth world?