Four new titles, including two books from J.R.R. Tolkien scholar Colin Duriez, will launch during the inaugural Manx Litfest this weekend.
The first of Colin’s two books is J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Legend, only the second authoritative biography on Tolkien, the previous one having been penned in 1977 by Humphrey Carpenter.
Published by Lion Hudson, it will be on sale for the first time anywhere at the Manx Museum on Friday night (September 28), where Colin will talk about The Hobbit, which is celebrating its 75th birthday this year, ahead of Peter Jackson’s first Hobbit movie being released at Christmas. The event starts at 7.30pm, with tickets priced at £8.00 available from the Manx Museum shop, the Lexicon Bookshop in Douglas, Bridge Bookshop in Port Erin, and via manxlitfest@gmail.com.
The second book is J.R.R. Tolkien: Amazing & Extraordinary Facts, published by David & Charles, and will be unveiled for the first time at Castle Rushen on Sunday (September 30), at Litfest’s ‘Narnia meets Middle-Earth’ family day, with a series of activities, events and storytelling inspired by perhaps the two finest literary fantasy worlds ever created. It’s free entry for children with their ACE cards, and £5 for adults, payable at the Castle shop as normal.
Launch number of three of Litfest sees children’s author Tom Palmer unwrap White Fear, the latest in his series, The Squad, which mixes international espionage with football action as teenage spies go undercover with the England youth team. The series is published by Puffin, and Tom will be at Henry Bloom Noble Library on Saturday (September 29) to launch the book. He’s holding two sessions of his ‘football reading games’ – the first 10.30am-11.30am, the second 1.30pm-2.30pm. The sessions are free, but space is limited, so please contact the library on 696461 to reserve your spot.
The fourth title to be unleashed over Litfest weekend is Horizons, the latest collection from poet Michael Curtis. Published by Lily Publications, Horizons has been inspired by the landscapes and seascapes of the Isle of Man. Michael will launch the book at Jabberwocky (Duke Street, Douglas) on Saturday evening, starting at 7.00pm, with tickets priced at £4 and available from Jabberwocky or via email – smartruth@manx.net.
‘It’s fantastic to have so many titles using our first Manx Litfest as a platform from which to launch,’ said Festival Director John Quirk. ‘Given that the only other authoritative biography on Tolkien was written 35 years ago, it’s a real privilege for us that Colin chose to use our festival as the basis for the publicity drive on his biography, and the fact that his second book is also here in time is the icing on the cake, as neither book is available in bookshops yet.
‘Tom’s new adventure for football-loving boys and girls should bring him an army of new fans, and Michael’s work will be known around the Island – while he’s primarily based in the UK, he does have a home in the Island and spends a lot of his time here, which is evidenced by his new collection, Horizons.’
Manx Litfest gets underway on Thursday, September 27 and runs until Sunday night, September 30. There are more than 50 talks, panel discussions, storytelling performances, poetry events, seminars and workshops packed into the four days, including a Gruffalo Hunt at Glen Helen on Saturday from 10.00am till 2.00pm.
The full schedule is available at www.manxlitfest.com/book-tickets which has a breakdown of each day, and festival programmes are on sale at various outlets around the Island, including the Villa Marina reception, the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal; The Lexicon Bookshop, The Book Company and Henry Bloom Noble Library, all in Douglas; The Bridge Bookshop in Port Erin; and St Paul’s Bookshop in Ramsey.
The main festival ‘hub’ will be based in three marquees within the Villa Marina Gardens, with free entry at all times over the weekend. The main marquee will stage talks and discussions, and will also house the book fair, while the family marquee will be inspired by Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book, with storytelling sessions for children throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Other ticketed events take place around the Island, including several in the Promenade Suite at the Villa Marina, and An Evening with Martin Bell OBE, the former BBC war correspondent and one-time MP, at the Gaiety Theatre on Friday night (September 28). Tickets for events at the Promenade Suite and the Gaiety are available from the Box Office on 600555, or by calling into the Villa reception or Welcome Centre.
Full details about all the weekend’s events, and how to obtain tickets, are available in the programmes, and from the website link above. Alternatively, email manxlitfest@gmail.com or call 341823.
Manx Litfest is a registered charity (number 1100) and is supported by Manx Heritage Foundation, Manx Lottery Trust and Isle of Man Arts Council, with many of the individual events having attracted sponsorship from businesses, organisations and individuals.
Book fans can find out more by visiting www.manxlitfest.com and signing up to the email newsletter, or following on Twitter (www.twitter.com/manxlitfest) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/manxlitfest).
