Oxford Literary Festival



Henry Hitchings



Christopher Lloyd



Linda Grant and panel

The Oxford Literary Festival almost passed me by this year. A last minute dash into Oxford on Sunday afternoon did enable me to sample the atmosphere around the main marquee by Christ Church Meadow.  This had the advantage of free drinks on offer (gin and whisky) as well as free talks. I managed to catch Christopher Lloyd entertaining an audience with lots of children. He was talking in front of his giant What on Earth Wallbook, which tells the story of the Earth from the Big Bang to the present day. I then listened to Henry Hitchings  discuss his book The Language Wars where he got us all discussing our pet hates about the use and abuse of English. Also, in the Master's Garden Marquee was a panel discussion (including Linda Grant, winner of the Orange Prize) about the The Jilted Generation. This was looking at how things have changed since the Baby Boomer generation.