Countrybookshop Peak Spring Festival May 17, 2007

John Major, Rageh Omaar, Marina Lewycka Headline Countrybookshop Peak Spring Festival

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The Countrybookshop Spring Peak Festival 2007 will be held from 18th May to 27th May 2007. The Festival will be launched with a literary dinner with former Prime Minister John Major at Hassop Hall on 18th May when he will talk about his new book 'Story of Cricket's Early Years'.

On 19th May a Creative writing workshop will be conducted by Ray French followed by tracing your family and home history by BBC 'Gene Detectives' presenter, Anthony Adolph. Judith Flanders introduces ‘Leisure and Pleasure in Victorian Britain’ and Lucinda Hawksley, great-great-great-grand-daughter of Charles Dickens discusses ‘Katey - Life and Loves of Dicken’s Artist Daughter’ . Philosopher Julian Baggini will talk about his book ‘Welcome to Everytown - What do the English think?’, followed by a ‘Wine and Cheese Tasting with Giles Milton’, author of Nathaniels Nutmeg, who has turned to fiction for the first time with a deliciously comic debut novel, ‘Trencom’s Nose: A Novel of History, Dark Intrigue and Cheese’.

On 20th May Lionel Shriver, author of ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’, the winner of the 2005 Orange Prize will be talking about her new book, 'Post Birthday World'.

An Indian Afternoon, in association with inamaste.com, includes William Dalrymple Mark Tully. On 21st May Deric Longden talks about his long awaited book, ‘Paws in the proceedings’.

On 22nd May David Hart Dyke, Captain of the HMS Coventry in the Falklands Conflict, injured during the attack on the ship by 2 Argentine Skyhawks will be telling his story, ‘Four Weeks in May: The Loss of HMS Coventry’. Also on 22nd May David Crystal, the foremost scholar of the history and structure of the English language, is returning to Country Bookshop.

Rageh Omaar, TV Journalist, talks about his childhood in Somalia and growing up a Muslim in Britain on the 23rd and on the 24th Tony Juniper, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth, discusses ‘How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Change a Planet?

Countrybookshop.co.uk has been online now for ten years and to celebrate this they include a glass of wine with a talk on ‘The Shock of the Old: Technology in Global History Since 1900’ from David Edgerton when he offers a global account of the place of technology in twentieth century history – 25th May.

On the 26th James Newton, first person to receive the distinguished Flying Cross since the Korean War, will be telling his thrilling story followed by ‘Despatches From the Front Line’ from the award-winning correspondent, Anthony Loyd and Hamida Ghafour’s family memoir and portrait of Afghanistan from a young Afghan journalist tells the story of his family’s flight from Kabul after the Russian invasion.

On 26th Louis De Berniers will be at Country Bookshop with Flautist, Ilone Antonius-Jones, to play music on his mandolin (what else!) and read poetry. Sebastian Peake will be at the shop on the 27th to talk about his famous father, Mervyn Peake. Also on the 27th Jay Griffiths shares her story ‘Wild’ described as an odyssey to wilderness of earth and ice, water and fire.

A date outside of the festival but Country Bookshop felt too important an issue to miss out on - 10th June when Rosie Boycott talks about her book, ‘Our Farm – a year in the life of a smallholding’, an important story in this era of food globalisation and a story of a farm, the local butcher, the Adult Education Centre and the residents of Ilminster who team together to fight the rise of the supermarkets. Following on the same day, ‘Tescopoly’, showing how supermarkets have brought global food domination. Andrew Simms includes suggestions for change and corporate reformation to safeguard our communities and environment – all over the world.

On 26th April Ramachandra Guha, described as perhaps the best of India’s historians, will be at Country Bookshop to talk about the world’s largest and least likely democracy.

Sheffield based author, Marina Lewycka, author of ‘A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian’ discussing her new book, ‘Two Caravans’ on 17th May.

Finally, Gervase Phinn will be back at Country Bookshop on 29th June with a new book to delight, ‘Heart of the Dales’.

Geraldine Rose, one of the festival organisers, said, "I feel that there is something for everyone in this Spring Festival, stories told by and about some very famous authors, war stories on land and at sea, stories from journalists, true stories, adventure stories, human rights issues, history, at home and abroad, technology, workshops on creative writing and tracing your family history, discussions on philosophy, the English language, the earth’s survival, international issues and authors and then back home for stories from the farm with home-grown authors and then some poetry and music, cheese and wine and finishing with our most popular raconteur talking about his new book and giving us a good laugh at the same time".

Tickets and more information is available online at www.countrybookshop.co.uk/peakfestival, by phone on 01629 816701 or by visiting Countrybookshop at Hassop Station, Bakewell, Derbyshire.

About Countrybookshop Peak Festival

The Countrybookshop Peak Spring and Autumn literary festivals are held annually in the Peak District National Park, the second most visited national park in the world with over 22 million visitors per year. The Spring Festival is held in May and the Autumn Festival in October. Events are held at historic venues to include Countrybookshop at the 19th century Hassop Railway Station, Chatsworth House and Hassop Hall. Various international and local writers discuss their work at the festival and the events include a literary lunch and a dinner. The Peak District Book of the Year Award is also presented as part of the festival.

Official Website: http://www.countrybookshop.co.uk/peakfestival