The Gibraltar Literary Festival 2015 by Gibraltar Rock Tours.
Many will have attended some of the great talks which have taken place at different venues in Gibraltar during the previous two Literary Festivals which have taken place in Gibraltar, if you are looking for something different to do in Gibraltar and are a fan of books, this is the event for you and yet another great reason to visit the Rock this time of year.
I am sure you can fit in a talk or two whilst in Gibraltar during a weekend this month.you may also enjoy one of our a sightseeing tours of Gibraltar, whilst on the rock or combine it with a shopping trip down main street.
The festival takes place between Thursday 12 November and Sunday 15 November. Tickets are available through website or at the Garrison Library box office. www.http://gibraltarliteraryfestival.com/
This year will be the third year running and a walk-in box office has already opened at the Gibraltar Garrison Library. Festival-goers can purchase tickets at the library between 9.30am and 4.30pm. So if you are visiting the Rock of Gibraltar in November make sure to check out the website for full details, but here a few insights on some of the speakers taking part this year.
Actress and author Maureen Lipman returns to the Gibunco Gibraltar International Literary Festival to talk about her life and read some of her monologues.
Popular comedian and actor Marcus Brigstocke features in a solo event about his book God Collar: Are You There God?. He is also on the panel for the festival’s Just a Minute event hosted by Nicholas Parsons.
Authors and speakers previously announced include broadcaster and Childline founder Dame Esther Rantzen, historian Dan Jones, football commentator GuillemBalague, and world-renowned scientist and writer Professor Frank Close.
Local authors Adolfo Canepa, Richard Garcia, Mary Chiappe and Sam Benady, and Humbert Hernandez are also to appear at this year’s Festival.
Mr Canepa, who was first elected to the Rock’s House of Assembly in 1972, has held all the major public offices in Gibraltar, including that of Leader of the
Opposition.
Richard Garcia, a retired teacher, senior civil servant and former Chief Secretary has written numerous books in recent years, , Mr Garcia will be presenting his latest work commemorating the 50th anniversary of the event’s main sponsor, the Gibunco Group, and recounting the Bassadone family history since 1737.
Mary Chiappe, half of the successful writing duobehind the locally flavoured detective series Mysteries’ – the other half being Sam Benady – returns to the festival with her co-author to delight audiences with the suggestively titled The Dead Can’t Paint, seventh and final instalment of their detective series.
Humbert Hernandez, teacher, poet, former social activist and anti-conscription campaigner, recently published a book Conscript or Convict? He also has a collection of short stories (El Acordeonista y OtrasHistorias) and a book of poems (Paisaje Interior) to his name and a long involvement in local amateur theatre.
The festival is also pleased to feature Mario Finlayson, , discussing his lifetime involvement in art both as a creator and as a school teacher. His aptly named autobiography A Lifetime In Artwas published in 2011, while his dream of a permanent art gallery in Gibraltar was realised earlier this year with the National Art Gallery at the City Hall building.
That’s Life presenter and founder of the Childline charity Dame Esther Rantzen heads a stellar list of speakers.
Rantzen, will talk about her life as one of the most high-profile television presenters in the UK over the last few decades and about her work for Childline and her new charity, the Silver Line.
She also appears at what is expected to be one of the hottest tickets this year – a special festival edition of Just a Minute hosted by Nicholas Parsons and with a panel that also includes well-known comedians and actors Miles Jupp and Marcus Brigstocke and bestselling novelist Felix Francis.
The festivalalso welcomes historian Dan Jones, who talks on the Magna Carta. Well-known football commentator GuillemBalague, talks about his new biography of Cristiano Ronaldo; and world-renowned scientist and writer Professor Frank Close reveals the true story about Harwell physicist Bruno Pontecorvo,
Gibraltar and Gibraltarians are well represented with talks about the artist Turner and Gibraltar by James Hamilton, and about the spy Guy Burgess in Gibraltar by Andrew Lownie.
Also appearing this year are the great nephew of Haile Selassie, Prince Asfa-WossenAsserate, and expert on the Royal Family Ingrid Seward.
Festival favourite Christopher Lloyd also returns with his wallbooks on Shakespeare and the Magna Carta. This was greatly enjoyed by the younger readers…. So there is definitely something for everyone so all that’s left to do now is to get those tickets……..
