Author of The Island heading to ours

Monday 04 July 2016

Her ‘Island’ has sold more than two million copies worldwide and now International best-selling author Victoria Hislop is heading to ours along with Louis de Bernières - the man who wrote Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Popular blogger Sarah Turner, aka The Unmumsy Mum, is also among the big names confirmed for this year's Jersey Festival of Words.

The festival runs from Wednesday 28 September to Sunday 2 October and will once again bring a host of star writers to the Island, as well as showcasing home-grown literary talent and offering a big programme of events for schools.

Victoria Hislop, who has written numerous bestsellers, will appear at the festival to discuss her new novel Cartes Postales from Greece, a compelling family saga that is coming out in September.

Louis de Bernières will be joining Jersey's Culture Minister Murray Norton on stage to discuss his numbers books, life and writing, including Captain Corelli's Mandolin which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Best Book in 1995 and was made into a film starring Nicholas Cage.

The full programme, features leading writers from a range of genres, including former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo, historian Alison Weir, novelists Louise Doughty and Simon Scarrow and journalist Cathy Rentzenbrink, whose memoir The Last Act of Love recently topped national sales lists.

Thousands of children got to meet their favourite authors last year and there will be free tickets for all schools in Jersey again this year as part of the schools programme. Sponsored by the One Foundation, the programme features the entertaining performance poet and writer A.F.Harrold, Jim Smith, author of the Barry Loser series, Chris Bradford’s spectacular Young Samurai and Young Bodyguard shows and, for young adults, William Sutcliffe and Eugene Lambert.

Jersey Festival of Words chairman Jennifer Bridge said: “In our second festival, we continue to celebrate the joy and importance of reading in all its forms in the setting of our beautiful island with its distinctive and inspiring heritage.”

Islanders who are already making their mark nationally will be here including performance poet Christian Foley, novelist John Samuel and the irrepressible Story Beast, John Henry Falle.

Jenny Lecoat will talk about scripting Another Mother’s Son, the forthcoming cinema release about the Jersey Occupation heroism of her great-aunt, Louisa Gould.

Great war historian Ian Ronayne will explore the part played by Jersey soldiers in the Battle of Guillemont, 100 years ago, and journalist Chris Stone will discuss his book, Dangerous Driving, written with one of the Island’s last Normandy veterans, Bill Reynolds.

Jersey Heritage will feature in presentations on Lillie Langtry by writer and director Tessa Coleman, and Elinor Glyn, the scandalous Jersey-born literary superstar of the early century, whose life has been fictionalised by Paul Darroch.

The best-selling Jersey Legends by Erren Michaels will also feature, as will Jersey poet Nicky Mesch’s new collection, Ice Bound and Jersey's Jèrriais folk band - the Badlabecques - will be part of a unique literary cabaret night featuring both local and visiting writers and musicians, that is being directed by the Jersey Arts Centre's Daniel Austin.

You can find out more about the festival here.