Literary Salon Series

 'The Dirt': Marianne Tuckman in conversation with David Britton

Wednesday 19th May | 7pm-8:30pm

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In this podcast, Owen Sheers reads from and discusses his award-winning poetry collection, Skirrid Hill.

Skirrid Hill revolves around the two poems Y Gaer and The Hillfort, the titles themselves suggesting the linguistic divide in Wales, from poems concerned with childhood, a Welsh landscape and family, to a more outward-looking vision both geographically and historically.

4th November 2020

Dai Smith reflects on the intellectual cross currents of his life as both historian and novelist as he launches his latest novel, The Crossing, in conversation with Jon Gower.

The novel builds upon and completes Dai’s trilogy on the fictive history of Industrial South Wales. The Crossing, polyphonic and multi-vocal, is a startling and provocative mix of the actual and imaginative in its intertwining of individual destinies, real and fictional ones, with a society’s fated and shaping direction.

Dai is now writing a work of memory making which, he says, is neither autobiography nor memoir but, rather, both forms held in suspension in the mind of recall.

In association with PARTHIAN

Cultural Institute 'Literary Salon Series'

3rd December 2020

9th December 2020

Book Synopsis

Born in 1373, Margery Kempe is the writer of the first known female-authored autobiography in the English language. As an effusive, often rambunctious, visionary woman living in the lay world, her particular mode of spirituality was not always well-received in a cultural milieu that frequently pathologized, or deemed heretical, ‘excessive’ female expression. Margery Kempe’s Spiritual Medicine: Suffering, Transformation and the Life-Course (D.S. Brewer) is the first full-length study of The Book of Margery Kempe from a medical humanities perspective. Harnessing the ubiquitous medieval notion of Christ the Physician, it offers a new way of reading the Book as a narrative of Kempe's own engagement with the medical paradigms of which she has previously been a passive subject. Focusing on the interactions of medicine, mysticism and reproduction as a feminist project, the book is a broad traverse through the life course, exploring Kempe's persistent attendance to her mystical body and refusal to compromise her instinct to authentically show how she feels.

About the Author
Laura Kalas is a Lecturer in Medieval literature in the Department of English Literature and Creative Writing at Swansea University. She has published in several academic journals, contributed to The Literary Encyclopedia, and has articles in The Conversation and The Independent. Her work on the medical recipe at the end of The Book of Margery Kempe has been featured in The Guardian and in the BBC History Magazine. Margery Kempe’s Spiritual Medicine is her first book.

In association with Boydell and Brewer.

Thursday 14th January

In this special online event, Max Porter talks about his career as an editor, bookseller and critically-acclaimed British writer, before discussing the changing shape of the English novel, myth and modern forms, his bestselling works and approach to writing and the relationship between literature and literacy.

The event will include special readings by Max from his award-winning works Grief is the Thing with Feathers and Lanny, as well as his new book The Death of Francis Bacon, 'an attempt to write as painting, not about it'.

In conversation with Dr Elaine Canning, Head of Cultural Engagement and Development at Swansea University.

Award-winning Max Porter is one of Britain’s most original and innovative writers. Max's first novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, won the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Sunday Times/Peters, Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year, the Europese Literatuurprijs and the BAMB Readers' Award, and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize. It has been translated into twenty-nine languages. Enda Walsh’s stage adaptation starting Cillian Murphy toured in 2019. Max's second novel Lanny (Faber, 2019) was a Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller and longlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize. His highly anticipated third book, The Death of Francis Bacon, will be published by Faber in January 2021. Max lives in Bath with his family.

‘It’s hard to express how much I loved Lanny. Books this good don’t come along very often. It’s a novel like no other, an exhilarating, disquieting, joyous read. It will reach into your chest and take hold of your heart. It’s a novel to press into the hands of everyone you know and say, read this.’ - MAGGIE O’FARRELL

A luminous reading experience - (Grief is the Thing with Feathers) (TLS)

An agile, life-affirming account of mourning. (Grief is the Thing with Feathers) (Sunday Times)

The event is part of the UK-Russia Creative Bridge Programme 2020-21 organised by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Moscow with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
The Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature and Creative Writing Moscow

‘Anna Karenina: Screen Adaptations of the Novel’ - Andrey Gelasimov


Wednesday 20th January | 2pm-4pm

The first screen adaptation of “Anna Karenina” was produced in the very beginning of the 20th century. Since then this Russian novel became one of the most popular sources for inspiration of cinematographers all over the world. The most beautiful and absolutely legendary actresses were involved in visualisation of that stunning and suffering character created by Leo Tolstoy almost a century and a half ago. During our conversation we’ll try to understand reasons of such durable attraction comparing different film versions between each other and the novel itself.

The event is part of the UK-Russia Creative Bridge Programme 2020-21 organised by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Moscow with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
The Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature and Creative Writing Moscow

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Tuesday 26th January

In this special online event, a panel of experts in crime fiction, thriller writing and Law discuss the intersection between crime fiction and legal truth. What is the relationship between crime fiction and true crime? And to what extent must the crime writer become a legal expert? A session full of suspense focusing on European crime fiction featuring eminent barrister and Head of Swansea University's Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Professor Elwen Evans QC, along with Swansea-born Philip Gwynne Jones, author of the hugely successful "Nathan Sutherland" crime novels (set in Venice), and translator and editor Dr Kat Hall, a specialist in German thriller writing and creator of 'Mrs Peabody Investigates.' In conversation with Professor D.J. Britton, Playwright and Head of English Literature and Creative Writing at Swansea University.

The Panelists


Professor Elwen Evans QC is Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean for the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She also holds the University portfolio for Welsh Language and Culture.

Elwen read Law at Girton College, Cambridge graduating with a double first: M.A. (Cantab). She was fortunate to receive a range of Scholarships from her College, University and professional body. On graduating she attended the Inns of Court School of Law and was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1980. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002. Elwen has enjoyed a very successful career as a barrister choosing to practice mainly in Wales. She has undertaken a wide range of legal work, specialising in criminal law at trial and appellate levels. Her work has included many serious, complex, sensitive and high profile cases such as leading the prosecution team in the April Jones case and the defence team in the Gleision mine disaster case. She sits as a Crown Court Recorder having been appointed in 2001. She was Head of Iscoed Chambers for over 15 years, stepping down on her appointment to Swansea University. She is a Bencher of her Inn, has been honoured by Gorsedd y Beirdd for her services to Law in Wales and was a Commissioner on the Commission on Justice in Wales. She has served on a wide range of external bodies and committees reflecting her areas of professional experience and interest. In 2018 she was in the top 10 of a list celebrating 100 of Wales’ most inspirational women.

Elwen joined Swansea University in 2015 when she was appointed as Head of the College of Law & Criminology where she supported its growth and transformation into an exciting and dynamic centre for learning, teaching, research, impact and engagement. Today, the University’s Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law is recognised as being at the forefront of innovation in legal education and practice.

Philip Gwynne Jones was born in Swansea in 1966, and now works as a writer, teacher and translator in Venice. His first novel, “The Venetian Game”, was Waterstones Thriller of the Month for March 2018, and a Times Top 5 bestseller. His most recent novel, “Venetian Gothic”, is now available, with a further four titles scheduled. He has written for the Sunday Times and the Big Issue, and is a frequent guest on BBC Radio Wales.In his spare time he enjoys cooking, art, classical music and opera; and can occasionally be seen and heard singing bass with the Cantori Veneziani.
Philip is published by Little, Brown under the Constable imprint


Dr Kat Hall is a translator and editor. She is an Honorary Research Associate in Modern Languages at Swansea University, where she worked as a lecturer for many years. She is the editor of Crime Fiction in German: Der Krimi (UWP 2016) and runs the ‘Mrs Peabody Investigates’ crime blog. She is currently translating Punishment, by German barrister turned crime writer Ferdinand von Schirach.

The event is part of the UK-Russia Creative Bridge Programme 2020-21 organised by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Moscow with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
The Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature and Creative Writing Moscow

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28th January 2021

Book Synopsis
In the aftermath of catastrophic religious wars, God has been banned. As snow begins to fall, a young woman – Jem – arrives in Underhill. The isolated community offers her shelter, unwittingly unleashing events that threaten their very existence. Jem announces that she has been sent to Underhill by God to prepare the villagers to fulfil a devastating purpose. Some believe she is a prophet and defy the law to join her God's Threads religion. Others are certain she is lying. With their fragile community beginning to fracture, Eileen, the first and most devoted of the believers, decides to record the birth of this new religion in her own Book of Jem. As God’s Threads gather for the apocalypse, the words Eileen has written will determine the fate of Underhill and, ultimately, of Jem herself. But can Eileen be trusted to tell the truth? And how can anyone know what to believe?

About the Author
After years of failing to write in the middle of the night, Carole Hailey abandoned a lucrative career as a lawyer to become an impoverished novelist. She subsequently accumulated an MA in Creative Writing from Goldsmiths and a PhD from Swansea University in 2020. Carole was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award 2020 and is a London Library Emerging Writer 2020/21. The Book of Jem is her first novel.

In association with Watermark Press

Cultural Institute 'Literary Salon Series'

5th February 2021

Alexander S. Pushkin was called the “Sun of Russian Poetry” by his contemporaries. The poet had an extraordinary pedigree. His mother's great-grandfather, one of the most educated people of his time, descended from a noble princely Abyssinian family and served faithfully to the Russian tsar Peter the Great. The biographies of Pushkin’s ancestors are as interesting as the novels of the 18-19th centuries. Pushkin wrote:

My pride of blood I have subdued;
I'm but an unknown singer
Simply Pushkin, not Moussin,
My strength is mine, not from court:
I am a writer, a citizen.

The prominent Russian writer Ivan Turgenev maintained that one of the distinctive features of Pushkin's poetry was graceful and smart simplicity. In his writing he was engaged in a gratifying creative dialogue with Western poets -  Shakespeare, Voltaire, Byron, and Walter Scott among them.

Pushkin’s polyphonic lyrics largely influenced a great number of  Russian poets and created a new poetic language. The poet was also an efficient historian: his heroes of Russian antiquity laid the foundations of the Russian historical novel.

The poet’s dynamic descriptions of various characters of his life and times helped create a highly animated image of Russia which made it possible to name his main work Eugene Onegin “the encyclopedia of Russian life."

The lecture will also explain why Pushkin's poetry is so difficult to translate, and his writing has not become a revelation to Western readership.

The event is part of the UK-Russia Creative Bridge Programme 2020-21 organised by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Moscow with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
The Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature and Creative Writing Moscow

Thursday 11th February 2021

Book Synopsis
Winter, 1904, and feisty twenty-one-year-old Ellen has been summoned back from her new life in Hoboken, New Jersey, to the family farm on windswept Gower, in a last bid to prevent the impending death of her alcoholic father. On her return, she finds the family in disarray. Ailing William is gambling away large swathes of Thomas land; frustrated Eleanor is mourning the husband she once knew; and Ellen’s younger twin brothers face difficult choices. Ellen, tasked with putting her family’s lives in order, finds herself battling one impossible decision after another. Resourceful, passionate, and forthright, can she remain in Gower, where being female still brings with it so many limitations? Can she endure being so close to her lost love? Will she choose home and duty, or excitement and opportunity across the Atlantic?

About the Author
Jane Fraser lives, work and writes in the Gower peninsula, south Wales, in a house facing the sea. Her first collection of short fiction, ‘The South Westerlies’ was published by SALT in 2019. Her debut novel, ‘Advent’ is forthcoming from HONNO, the UK’s longest-standing independent women’s press, in January 2021. In 2017 she was a finalist in the Manchester Fiction Prize; and in 2018 a prize winner in the Fish Memoir Prize’. She is an alumni of Swansea University with an MA (distinction) and PhD in Creative Writing. She was a Hay Festival Writer at Work in 2018 and 2019. She is grandmother to Megan, Florence and Alice.

www.janefraserwriter.com
Twitter @jfraserwriter

In association with Honno Press

Wednesday 17th February

THIS EVENT WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN THE MEDIUM OF  RUSSIAN, WITH SIMULTANEOUS ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Russian literature is going through a unique period of complete freedom and independence from authorities in history. In this lecture, Professor Aleksey Varlamov will focus on new trends in Russian literature, including the role of the writer as storyteller rather than as prophet or ideologist, as well as the current literary landscape in Russia, with a focus on non-fiction, biography and the status of movements such as Realism, Post-Realism and Postmodernism. The extent to which we can comprehend the present through the works of Zakhar Prilepin, R. Senchin, A. Salnikov and Grigorij Sluzhitel will also be discussed.

Professor Aleksey Varlamov is Rector of the Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature and Creative Writing, Moscow. He is also a prominent writer, publicist and researcher of the history of 20th Century Russian literature and his books have been translated into several languages.

The event is part of the UK-Russia Creative Bridge Programme 2020-21 organised by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy in Moscow with the support of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
The Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature and Creative Writing Moscow

Monday 8th March

Contained in Ice by Lizzie Fincham

Poignant, elegant and timely, Lizzie Fincham's acute senses and imagistic rhythms give us glimpses beneath the surface of life, to the deeper connections. And always, running through the beauty and the evocation of the natural world, are warnings: 'The woods are turning to smoke'; 'As it always has, the bell tolls'… The delicacy of the poetry belies the magnitude of the themes: the losses and the hope — Contained in Ice contains 'All the small stuff. All the big stuff.'

Small by Natalie Ann Holborow
We all have our favourite demons. Weaved throughout poems on mythology, literary figures and other shores, the narrator is haunted by her biggest demon of all: the gargantuan Small. Told with rawness and honesty, the secretive nature of living with an eating disorder is yanked out into the open and given physical form and voice. Through relationship breakdowns, bath-times, the cacophonous dazzle of Delhi and the fug of hospital waiting rooms, Small is there, slyly riding on the shoulders of a woman running for miles to get away ‒ yet forever haunted by a shadow far larger than her own.

Author Biographies
Gower born poet Lizzie Fincham is currently studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Swansea University. She has had 80 poems published in various journals and collections including New Welsh Review, Poetry Wales, North, French Literary Review, New Zealand Review. Lizzie has been shortlisted for many prizes, including the prestigious Bridport Poetry Prize on three occasions. In 2017 she was awarded First prize for Brexit Blues in Brighton Poetry Competition. Her first collection Green Figs and Blue Jazz was published by Cinnamon Press in 2017. Her latest pamphlet, Contained in Ice, was published by Cinnamon Press in 2020.

Natalie Ann Holborow is an award-winning writer whose debut collection, And Suddenly You Find Yourself, was launched at the International Kolkata Literary Festival and listed as Wales Arts Review’s ‘Best of 2017’. She is co-editor of the Cheval anthology. Winner of the 2015 Terry Hetherington Award and a recent finalist in the Cursed Murphy Spoken Word competition, her second book Small (Parthian) and collaborative pamphlet with Mari Ellis Dunning The Wrong Side of the Looking Glass (Black Rabbit Press) were both published in 2020.

Cultural Institute 'Literary Salon Series'

Thursday 29th April

Many Rivers to Cross is the debut novel from Dylan Moore, editor of the welsh agenda, and Hay Festival International Fellow. Written following a period volunteering at the Sanctuary Project in Newport, and partly based on interviews with asylum seekers and refugees, the novel traces a series of journeys – migrations across time and space – from the streets of Pillgwenlly, Newport to the ‘Jungle’ camp at Calais, and from Ethiopia to the island of Lampedusa.

About the Author
Dylan Moore has worked as a magazine editor, comprehensive school teacher, refugee support worker and chip shop counter assistant. His first book was Driving Home Both Ways, a collection of travel essays; his journalism has appeared in Lonely Planet, Vanity Fair, Times Educational Supplement and on BBC Radio 4. He is a Hay Festival International Fellow.

Cultural Institute 'Literary Salon Series'