Elif Shafakis an award-winning British-Turkish writer, novelist and one of today’s most influential public intellectuals. Her internationally acclaimed work explores identity, belonging, freedom, memory keeping and the power of storytelling to bridge cultural divides. Published in 58 languages, she is the recipient of the British Academy President’s Medal for “the incredible intercultural range” of her writing and of the Halldor Laxness International Literature Prize for her contribution to “the renewal of the art of storytelling.”
At Hay Festival Kunstsilo, Shafak discusses ‘the Age of Imagination’: why humanities, arts and literature matter more than ever in a world shaped by polarisation, uncertainty, rapid technological change and climate crisis, and how the literary imagination can expand our sense of possibility, nurture empathy and help us connect beyond borders and boxes of identity.
Andri Snær Magnason, Siri Hustvedt and Sophia Jansson in conversation with Yukiko Duke
Moomin: The Values and Legacy of Tove Jansson
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Knuden Auditorium
What makes Tove Jansson’s Moomins so beloved across generations? Beyond their enchanting world, these unforgettable characters embody values that feel more relevant than ever: kindness, freedom, tolerance, curiosity and respect for nature. Jansson created a universe where difference is embraced, solitude is respected, adventure is encouraged and everyone can find a place to belong.
In this special conversation, writersAndri Snær Magnason and Siri Hustvedt join Sophia Jansson – Tove Jansson’s niece and a key guardian of her artistic legacy – to explore the life and work of this extraordinary Finnish artist. Together, they reflect on the enduring wisdom of the Moomins and what Jansson’s vision can teach us about living together, embracing uncertainty and imagining a more compassionate world.
In September 2022, Scandinavian seismologists detected the devastating explosions that destroyed the Nord Stream pipeline, carrying Russian gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea. Bojan Pancevskiis Chief European Political Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. He undertook in-depth reporting about this mysterious event that shifted global geopolitics, which he analyses in his book The North Stream Conspiracy. In this conversation withMisha Glenny, BBC presenter of In Our Time, Pancevski discusses the event considered to be the most daring act of sabotage in recent history, as well as Russia’s shadow war and the fragile geopolitics of Europe.
Join us for an action-packed Poetry Party full of rhymes from Peas on Your Knees, Michael Rosen’s latest anthology, which celebrates his hugely popular work over the past 40 years. With live drawing by illustrator Chris Riddell, this is an event not to be missed.
Michael is winner of the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing, the highest international honour in children’s literature. He has written over 200 books, as well as appearing regularly on radio and TV, his YouTube Channel and many live shows. He’s helped make poetry accessible to thousands of children worldwide – come and see him for yourself!
Colson Whitehead in conversation with Nesrine Malik
Cool Machine
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Kilden Konsertsalen
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winnerColson Whitehead takes the Festival by storm with his highly anticipated new book, Cool Machine. The final installment of his acclaimed Harlem trilogy is, above all else, an unapologetically fun, soul-stirring love letter to New York City. Spanning the years 1981 to 1983, the novel serves as a powerful exploration of the systemic issues plaguing the city during that era, from street crime and municipal neglect to exploitative real estate practices whose consequences are still felt today. In this captivating conversation withNesrine Malik, Whitehead explores the striking parallels between his fiction and our present day.
Abdulrazak Gurnah and Juan Gabriel Vásquez in conversation
The Memory of Stories
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Knuden Auditorium
How can we represent a history that was intentionally erased or never recorded by those in power? Tanzanian novelist and Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnahand Colombian novelist Juan Gabriel Vásquezhave dedicated a good part of their work to answering that question. Join us in a deeply philosophical exploration of memory, historical gaps and the intersection of global cultures, from Vásquez’s views on the dark corners of the past to Gurnah’s attempt to piece together the fractured memories and missing perspectives of East Africans who lived through German and British colonial rule across his entire body of literary work (including masterpiece novels like Paradise and Afterlives).
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelistHernan Diaz returns with a highly anticipated new book. Following his acclaimed debut In the Distance and his bestselling Trust, Ply completes an American trilogy that he has been almost unconsciously building for years. Written partly at Ingmar Bergman’s actual desk and loosely inspired by Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book, this new novel transports readers to a future New York City. A poignant reflection on history, selfhood and intimacy, the story follows three women from different generations fighting to survive in a metropolis on the verge of an epochal transformation. In this captivating conversation with translator and journalistYukiko Duke, Diaz discusses punk rock, quantum physics and how literature can imagine the future.
Åsne Seierstad and Jon Lee Anderson in conversation
Journalism and war beyond the headlines
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Ship
How do we stay truly informed in an age of superficial headlines? Is there still room for deep investigative journalism in a non-stop 24-hour news cycle? War correspondent and bestselling author of The Bookseller of KabulÅsne Seierstad (Norway), and investigative reporter and staff writer for The New YorkerJon Lee Anderson(United States) have dedicated their careers to the kind of journalism that cannot be reduced to a quick headline. They know the value of following a story wherever it takes you, listening beyond what is being said, and giving a voice to those on the margins. In this profound conversation between two legends of investigative journalism, Seierstad will discuss Never Say War, her new book about daily life in Putin’s Russia, while Anderson and his book To Lose a War will explore life under the Taliban in Afghanistan. Together, they will deliver a masterclass on the legacy of war, the toll of witnessing history, and the art of writing "slower" journalism.
Siri Hustvedt in conversation with Christian House
How We Look: Art, Literature and the Mind
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Knuden Auditorium
Acclaimed novelist, essayist and scholarSiri Hustvedt has always inhabited the liminal space between the humanities and the hard sciences. Throughout her extensive body of work, Hustvedt examines how our thoughts, imagination and creativity are deeply linked to our physical bodies and biological nervous systems.
In this unique event with British critic Christian House, she explores the fascinating connections between art, literature and the workings of the mind. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology and philosophy, Hustvedt challenges the ways we look at, interpret and make meaning from the world around us.
Danzy Senna, Adania Shibli and Pankaj Mishra in conversation with Nesrine Malik
Who Speaks for the World?
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Kunstsilo Silohallen
How do we understand the modern world without the help of Western prescriptions of individual freedom, collective progress and modernity? As the notion of the ‘free world’ unravels, and long-dominant narratives cease to be persuasive, what are the experiences and perspectives of the global majority that we need to understand the past as well as the chaotic present?
American novelist and essayist Danzy Senna, Palestinian writer Adania Shibliand Indian essayist and author Pankaj Mishra join journalist and commentatorNesrine Malik for a searching conversation. Drawing on literature and history, they explore how we might develop a pluralistic understanding of the world, one that moves beyond broken Western assumptions and offers different ways of knowing, and being in, the world.
Joachim Trier and Karl Ove Knausgård in conversation
Capturing Emotions
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Kunstsilo Silohallen
Prize winning film director Joachim Trier, joins bestselling author Karl Ove Knausgaard for an honest and in depth conversation about what it is to make art, the processes involved, and all that is at stake both personally and artistically. The conversation will include subjects close to both their works: the role of place and the passage of time, trauma and the sublime.
In her fantastic comedy show, Sara Pascoe explores the joys and absurdities of being human – from the chaos of motherhood to the contradictions of fame and the unanswerable question: why won’t my kitchen clean itself?
With her trademark mix of sharp observation and surreal humour, Pascoe turns everyday anxieties into pure comic gold. You’ve seen her on Taskmaster, Live at the Apollo and The Great British Sewing Bee. Now enjoy her company in person at a special show for Hay Festival. Clever, curious and joyfully offbeat – this is Sara Pascoeat her brilliant best.
Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling authorAnne Applebaum is one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of Soviet totalitarianism, European geopolitics and the global rise of modern authoritarianism. She joins us at Hay Festival Kunstsilo for a conversation with DN Media Group journalist James Lamont about her distinguished career.
Applebaum seamlessly combines the most rigorous historical scholarship with a clear, sharp and direct style. She is best known for her contributions to The Atlantic, The Washington Post and The Spectator and for her award-winning books. Her latest is Autocracy, Inc., an exposé of how global autocracies unite to undermine democracy, and the collective strategy needed to defeat them. In this event she delivers an extraordinary masterclass in journalism and foreign commentary.
Experience a groundbreaking multimedia collision of literature, rhythm, and film. Historia brings together three visionary masters of their crafts: legendary Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård, virtuoso Wilco drummer and composer Glenn Kotche, and acclaimed director Johan Renck (Chernobyl, Blackstar). Part spoken-word invocation, part avant-garde percussion concert, and part cinematic installation, this immersive production strips back the layers of artistic creation. Anchored by readings from Knausgård’s evocative novel The School of Night, Historia bridges the gap between text, sound, and shadow. It invites the audience into a hypnotic, raw exploration of obsession, human connection, and the relentless drive to create.
Percival Everett in conversation with Kamila Shamsie
Who Tells the Story?
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Knuden Auditorium
In his Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning novel James, Percival Everettbrought to the foreground a character who had long lingered at the margins of literature. When Jim took the spotlight, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn started sounding like a different story. Giving voice to people traditionally left out of the narrative, dismissed as footnotes or sidekicks at best, has been a constant throughout Everett’s career and is again at the heart of his latest novel, Serious Music. In conversation with the author Kamila Shamsie, he explores who gets to tell a story, why it has so often been the same people telling it, and how changing the teller changes the story itself.
Letters Live is a global phenomenon, captivating audiences in sold-out shows around the world, bringing to life the intimacy, humour and raw emotion found in letters. Each Letters Live event features a surprise all-star cast performing the unforgettable readings, with past performers including Benedict Cumberbatch, Bryan Cranston, Olivia Colman, Taika Waititi, Cate Blanchett and Laurence Fishburne, to name just a few – plus remarkable musical performances from artists including Thom Yorke, David Byrne and Laura Mvula.
Philippe Sands in conversation with Diana Fox Carney
Can We Put the Planet on Trial?
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Knuden Auditorium
Can the destruction of our natural world become an international crime? In his forthcoming book The Fifth Crime: On Ecocide, Justice and Hope, international lawyer and acclaimed author Philippe Sands explores the campaign to recognise ecocide as a crime under international law. In conversation with economist and climate policy expert Diana Fox Carney, he examines the legal, economic and political forces that enable environmental destruction, and asks whether we can hold those responsible to account. What would it take to make the protection of our planet a matter of justice, and can the law help change our future?
What happens when a writer enters into conversation with a painter across time? Ali Smith’s So in the Spruce Forest, inspired by Edvard Munch’s paintings of trees and stones, opens up a rich dialogue between literature, art, nature and memory. In conversation with visual arts journalist Christian House, Smith explores her fascination with Munch, drawing on her co-curated exhibition with Munch curator Trine Otto Bak Niesen at the Munch Museum, for which she has written the accompanying catalogue as one extended piece of fiction. Together, they explore how art can transform the way we see the world, and ourselves.
In a world where almost every corner of the planet seems to have been mapped, photographed and documented, what does it mean to be an explorer today? Polar explorer and adventurerErling Kagge and journalist and foreign correspondentJon Lee Andersonreflect on the meaning of exploration in the twenty-first century. From the farthest reaches of the Earth to the complexities of human societies, politics and the natural world, they consider what remains unknown, where the next frontiers lie, and whether the greatest journeys of discovery today might be inward rather than outward. What is left to explore in a world that appears to have seen it all?
