Wimbledon Bookfest 2009 runs from 3-11 October, with events taking place all over Wimbledon.
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We are presently putting the final touches to the exciting programme and will shortly be filling up the
Calendar pages for each of the
9 Bookfest Festival days.
Please check back regularly.
Box office opens 13th July 2009
(For "Friends" on 6th July)
Tel: 0208 543 4888 (Polka Theatre)
or online at
www.polkatheatre.com
Priorirty booking opens 6th July for Friends
Become a Friend now!
Click here for a form
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This year’s line up includes: Best-selling novelists Sadie Jones, William Boyd, Chris Cleave, Deborah Moggach, Kamila Shamsie, Julian Fellowes and Penny Vincenzi; actor and campaigner Virginia McKenna; historical novelist Alison Weir; Wimbledon-based ‘Map of Love’ author Ahdaf Soueif; Darwin’s great-great granddaughters Ruth Padel and Emma Darwin; historians Sir Max Hastings and Patrick French; Gyles Brandreth bringing his new book on Oscar Wilde; artist Sir Peter Blake, actors June Whitfield and Tim West, and a Q&A with Simon Beaufoy, award-winning scriptwriter for Slumdog Millionaire.
Wimbledon Bookfest Scriptwriting Competition
The Wimbledon Bookfest 2009 Scriptwriting Competition 2009 - OPEN TO ALL AGES - is now open for entries.
Cick here for more details.
The closing date of the entries has been extended to Friday 21st August, 2009!
Bookfest 2009 Launch
26th March, 2009
Bookfest 2009 is under way following a successful launch at Polka Theatre on 26th March, 2009.
You can view photos from the event here.
Event at Southside House
28th May, 2009
The advertised programme for the Bookfest’s fundraising evening at Southside House was subject to a last-minute change. But the 75 Friends and guests who attended the event on a glorious summer evening were entertained by two high-class replacement speakers.
The original joint speakers were to have been Katriona Munthe, grand-daughter of Axel Munthe, whose family lived at Southside House; and Dr Christopher Gardner, a consultant neurologist specialising in post-trauma syndrome treatment. Their chosen subject was Axel’s extraordinary life as a doctor, writer, animal lover and recluse. But they were detained in Italy because of the illness of an elderly relative and the scheduled talk has been postponed until September.
Instead the Bookfest supporters got an alternative ‘double-header’ provided by Southside resident Richard Surman and local historian Clive Whichelow. Richard filled in some of the fascinating background to the residency at Southside of Axel Munthe, the charismatic Swedish Doctor whose most famous book, The Story of San Michele, briefly outsold the Bible and remains amongst the ten best sellers of the 20th century. He married Hilda Pennington Mellor, who first developed Southside’s amazing two-acre garden – which the Bookfest guests were able to explore on this beautiful evening.
Richard told how Hilda’s youngest son, Malcolm, a Second World War hero who suffered serious wounds, spent his remaining years restoring Southside and the family country home, Hellens, in Herefordshire. Malcolm Munthe's surviving children continue to cherish Southside House and Hellens through the Pennington-Mellore-Munthe Charity Trust. Both houses serve their communities with concerts, lectures, workshops and literary evenings as well as guided tours.
Clive Wychelow, recounted equally racy tales from the history of Wimbledon Common – the scene of bare knuckle fights, duels, rifle-shooting and royal visits. And Bookfest Chair, Tony Kane, rounded the formalities off with a presentation on the success of Bookfest 2008 and the aims and ambitions of Bookfest 2009 which, he underlined, very much needed support from the community in terms of not just business sponsorship but also the active support of Friends and Volunteers. He appealed to everyone present to ‘phone a friend’ or contact a neighbour and persuade them to become a Friend or volunteer to help the Festival in any of the many different roles required to make it another success story in 2009.
The evening which ended with a draw for several raffle prizes in including ballet and tickets to the AELTC Museum, a wine-tasting, a bottle of champagne, and a Louis Vuitton handbag.
Wimbledon Bookfest celebrated a successful second year, 2008.
For pictures of the 2008 Bookfest, please click here (2008 Events Gallery)
Anyone with memories or thoughts on the festival are asked to email them to fiona.razvi@wimbledonbookfest.org.