Literature in the Lush Welsh Countryside
Come Celebrate the Arts, Literature and Film at the Hay Festival!
Apr 21, 2009
From May 21st to May 31st, 2009, the tiny village of Hay-on-Wye, in Wales, turns from a quaint place with an interesting history to a full blown, outstanding venue for all that is new, topical and trendy in the arts.
Descending on Hay are authors of every genre, comedians, photographers, sculptors, playwrights and even political pundits. For the ten days of the conference these people talk, question, lecture and laugh with the audience.
A visitor may end up sitting next to their favorite author in the audience as they sit and listen to ideas on how to make publishing greener or writing about cultural differences without bias. Instead of paying for the conference as a whole, an attendee has only to pay for the events they wish to attend, some of which are even free.
This year, events start at 11:30am on the 21st of May and go from morning to late night all the way through May 31st. Some notable names among the hundreds attending are:
- Sarah Waters
- Alaa Al Aswany
- Immodesty Blaize
- Henning Mankell
- Dylan Moran
- Michael Morpurgo
- Jeremy Paxman
- Amartya Sen
- David Simon
- Nicholas Stern
"The Hay Festival is a gathering in the staggering beauty of the Brecon Beacons National Park . Writers, comedians and musicians that have the capacity to change our lives, to share new visions of the world, and to do that incredibly sexy thing – to renew our sense of wonder." (The Guardian Hay Festival website).
The Location of the Hay-on-Wye Festival
Hay on Wye is located on the Welsh-English border in the county of Herefordshire at the bottom of the Brecon Beacons National Park. A Norman castle lies at the center of the town and has been invaded, used, burnt down, rebuilt and reused multiple times throughout the centuries by both English and Welsh invaders. According to legend, the castle was built in one night by the wife of William de Breos, Maud de St Valery (also known as Moll Wallbee), carrying the stones in her apron.
In an attempt to revive the slowly dying town, Mr. Richard Booth pumped money into it in 1961 and founded bookstores. Hay on Wye is now known for being the largest area of second hand and antiquarian books in the world. There are currently thirty bookstores to choose from!--that's a lot of books for a town with a population of 1500!
Other Hay Festivals
The Hay Festival Alhambra is held May 7-10, in the beautiful city of Alhambra, Spain. Located at the stunning Alhambra Palace, writers and poets from Spain, the Middle East and northern Africa, as well as the UK, US and many others, share their voices and stories to make this a truly international festival of thought and word.
The Hay Festival Segovia is a smaller, more intimate affair held just outside of Madrid from May 24-27. This setting, full of history, culture and passion, is the perfect place to join authors and crafters for a weekend of discussion.
For more information on these fantastic festivals, check out the website! Or, alternatively, call The Tourist Beauru at 44 1497 820144.
