Hay Festival 2014

When, completely by chance, Barroux came across the diary of a soldier from the First World War, he turned the man’s words into Line of Fire, a vivid and moving graphic novel that brings the unknown soldier’s story alive. This live performance of his book uses music, speech and live drawing to create an unforgettable theatrical experience. Accompanied by Julien Joubert on guitar. A rare opportunity to see this show in the UK.

12+ years (YA)

The exhilarating World music fusion of the guitar/percussion duo has excited audiences around Europe. Guitarist Jon Salfield and percussionist Simon Stanton have crafted a unique and dynamic repertoire combining Flamenco and Latin traditions, with elements of North African, Caribbean and jazz traditions, and a healthy dose of improvisation.

A special centenary celebration reading of the work of the great Welsh poet will include ‘Fern Hill’, ‘Do Not Go Gentle’, ‘In My Craft of Sullen Art’ and ‘The Hunchback in the Park’ and a first reading of A Pearl of Great Price: The Love Letters of Dylan Thomas to Pearl Kazin, edited by Jeff Towns and newly published by Parthian.

See also event 405 – Tom Hollander and Andrew Davies discuss their film A Poet in New York.

The thriller writer talks about the action-packed, high-tension, mega-selling eighteenth book featuring his hero Jack Reacher.

The celebrated photographer has had unprecedented journalistic access to North Korea in the last few years, and has shot an extraordinary record of life in one of the strangest and most secretive states on Earth. He screens his photographs and discusses the experience with the BBC World anchor.

The digital-first publication of the Booker long-listed The Kills combines over forty multimedia elements (film, audio, animation and text) alongside a sequence of four novels. House will talk about the development of the project and the potential of digital publishing.

Resilient water catchments, the area drained by a river and all its tributaries, are needed to ensure water quantity, quality, accessibility and reliability to all users. How do we manage them, particularly now, given the mix of stresses posed by diverse sets of needs and growing populations, and how best do we share good practice? This topic is the first global challenge undertaken by the 2014 Inaugural Katerva Solutions programme. Jean Brittingham is COO of Katerva.

FREE BUT TICKETED

The sensational pianist returns to Hay bringing his trademark ‘stand-up style’, anecdotes and a sublime programme of Chopin and Schubert for a highly unique show. The programme will include Schubert – Sonata in A D664; Chopin – 3rd ballade; Blumenfeld – Étude pour le main gauche; and Chopin – 2nd scherzo. ‘Performance of such natural ease and brilliance that no one can resist.’ The Times

Join our friends from the Machynlleth Comedy Festival as they bring you a showcase of the best bits from 2014’s festival, including Isy Suttie, best known as Dobbie from Peep Show, Henry Paker, one of the most gifted comics of a generation, Mike Wozniak, the award-winning stand-up who recently starred in Man Down, and the wonderfully creative Welshman Elis James as your MC.

After forming The Flowers of Romance with Sid Vicious in 1976, Viv joined The Slits and made musical history as one of the first generation of punk bands. Here is the story of what it was like to be a girl at the height of punk: the sex, the drugs, the guys, the tours, the hard lessons learnt and those not considered.

A reading of new work by the local writing group.

FREE BUT TICKETED

BBC Radio 6 Music’s Cerys Matthews presents her show live from the BBC Tent at the Hay Festival, bringing listeners eclectic music from blues to beats plus poetry and a fantastic live music session.

12+ years. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult over 18.

FREE BUT TICKETED

Three of the best of the luckiest generation in history are still learning, still leading the way and still at the top of their game. They talk with Emma Soames.

It began with an unsigned email: ‘I am a senior member of the intelligence community’. The award-winning investigative journalist takes up the story of the NSA whistleblower. Chaired by James Naughtie.

The historian presents a selection of artefacts and their stories, from weapons that created carnage to affectionate letters home and unexpected items of trench decoration. Cooksey adds contemporary colour with stories from Harry’s War, his collaboration with Great War veteran Harry Drinkwater.

A conversation based on the novelist’s book of essays that is framed around: Living, which draws on her own life; Thinking, on memory, emotion and the imagination; and Looking, on art and artists. She explores how we see, remember, feel and interact with others; what it means to sleep, dream and speak; and what we mean by ‘self’.

Growing up in 1970s Suffolk in a crumbling giant of a house with wild, tangled gardens, the celebrated jeweller was left to wreak havoc by invention. Without visible parental influence but with sisters to love him and brothers to fight for him, he made nature into his world. Creation became a compulsion, whether it was go-karts and guns, cross-bows and booby-traps, boats, bikes or scooters. And then it was jewellery. He talks to Georgina Godwin.