Dubai: Naturalist David Attenborough, novelist Kate Atkinson and historian Mary Beard will be appearing live in Dubai from The Times and The Sunday Times’ Cheltenham Literature Festival in the UK next month.
Organised by the Emirates Literature Foundation, the ‘Festival in a Day’ will see the British authors discuss their work on October 6, through a live-link at Novo Cinema, Dubai Festival City, from 3:30pm.
David Attenborough’s recent BBCTV ‘Blue Planet 2’ series sparked outcry around the world about plastic pollution in the oceans, leading to greater awareness about the damage being inflicted.
He will be discussing his completely new edition of the ground-breaking ‘Life on Earth,’ and assessing how the world has changed since its original publication 40 years ago.
Acclaimed novelist Kate Atkinson won the Whitbread Book of the Year prize in 1995 for her first novel, ‘Behind the Scenes at the Museum’ and has since written ten books, including four in the Jackson Brodie crime series. She will be discussing her new novel, ‘Transcription.’
‘Women & Power — A Manifesto’ is the latest work from renowned classicist Mary Beard. She will be dissecting the cultural underpinnings of misogyny, from the classical world to the modern day, from Medusa and Athena to Theresa May and Hillary Clinton, and discussing how we can change the narrative around women and power.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring these three top authors to Dubai via live-link,” said Isobel Abulhoul, chief executive officer and trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation.
“As the home of one of the world’s leading international literary festivals, we are always looking for ways to enhance our offering. This partnership with Cheltenham to bring a ‘Festival in a Day’ extends our year-round programme, with the opportunity to experience a taste of The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, the oldest literary festival in the world, and be part of it in Dubai.”
Tickets for the ‘Festival in a Day’ are available from emirateslitfest.com priced Dh120 for all three events.
The timings for the three talks are:
Kate Atkinson — Transcription 3.30pm — 4.30pm
David Attenborough — Life On Earth 5.30pm — 6.45pm
Mary Beard — Women & Power — A Manifesto 7.45pm — 8.45pm
What: Festival in a Day
Where: Novo Cinemas, Dubai Festival City
When: October 6
