Attending the Inaugral Lake District Book Festival

In the words of historian, novelist and now the Lake District Book Festival Director, Christopher de Bellaigue: "What? Another literary festival? Is this what the country really needs?" Well, in the current permacrisis we find ourselves in, perhaps it's exactly what we need.

Now, post-festival, Christopher could not be more fervent in his conviction that it was the right call. "We need it here in the northwest because we don't have enough high-quality cultural programming and because on the fringes of our Lake District lie towns that have been scandalously neglected and deserve better."

The June literary event was a successful display of literary talent (and enthusiasm from the northwest) over two days, affirmed by our very own Lisa Barnard, SPHERE online editor and ILN CEO, who was in attendance.

Highlights included a discussion between Christopher and novelist Sebastian Faulks about the former's book, The Golden Throne. Tracing the life of Ottoman Emperor Suleyman the Magnificent – or, as Sebastian Faulks dubs him, "Suleyman the absolute bastard" – charging him with fratricide, filicide, genocide and more, the conversation covered the ruthless politics that shaped the empire, the brutality of the time, and the craft of conjuring sympathy for the characters in the modern reader. They also covered the influence of cinematic depictions of history and how it has undoubtedly impacted the way novels like The Golden Throne are written – yet, as Christopher reminded his audience, "we've had vividly described historical scenes come into print before the advent of the screen" – as well as his "hankering for blood and gore," which of all his characters, drew him most to the "absolutely unspeakable" Admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa. Perhaps the most surprising revelation from the talk was that Suleiman never made his way to Cumbria: "He could have annexed it on the way home," the pair joked.

Jumping from Suleiman the Magnificent to Taylor the Swift, another standout session from the weekend centred on Matt Thorne's Famous, discussed in conversation with the Financial Times's "unicorn" pop critic, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney. The novel focuses on seven unusual pairings – think Paul McCartney and Diana Ross, Tina Turner and David Bowie, and, of course, Taylor Swift and Kanye West. The thread that runs through these fated stars is simply their fame – or, as Matt highlights, their inability to escape their fame. "A pop star has to be popular by definition," he points out. 

From Elvis and Sinatra performing each other's songs to Paul McCartney and Diana Ross crossing paths in a tiny club in Soho, Famous traces the collisions of ego, envy and ambition between the greatest artists of our time. Of all the pairings, the most tangled is Taylor and Kanye. Starting with the infamous VMA mic-grab and the leaked phone call discussing Kanye's song "Famous" – the inspiration for the book's title – the decades-long saga that sprawls across wider society was nearly cut from the book following a plethora of Kanye's controversies. Thorne kept it in regardless, arguing the story was simply too big to ignore, pulling in presidents, award shows and the uneasy history between pop and hip hop along the way.

While not strictly a literary discussion, it's always a pleasure to hear from Jane Horrocks –everyone's favourite ditsy PA from Ab Fab – who was interviewed by the Time Out marketing mastermind, Christine Cort. The duo bonded over meeting on the dance floor, being "overfamiliar Northerners in London," and their favourite books, before getting into the details of their respective careers. Jane provided all the juicy tidbits from her time on Ab Fab, like Jennifer Saunders's "last-minute" writing and the thrill of the recorded live performances, as well as collaborating with Jim Cartwright on Little Voice – who, she says, is "always asking me to work and [I'm] always saying no."

Looking ahead, the pair will be collaborating on The Lone Star, an immersive piece in Blackburn. It will be a night that brings people back to the '80s, leaning into Gen Z and Millennials' fascination with an analogue era, ultimately encouraging people to just "get out there and dance."

Graham Robb, on the other hand, spoke with David Horspool, historian and editor at The Times Literary Supplement, about his book The Discovery of Britain. Be it disputing the assumption that the Romans brought civilisation to Britain – as David says, "in some ways the Celts were more capable than the Romans" – or the class divides highlighted in both World Wars, the conversation moved through several of the revisionist theories Graham explores in his book. He also discussed aspects of his personal history that writing the book uncovered, not least Rudolf Hess's plane crash, which landed in the field behind his mother's house – a fitting allegory that history is never far from home.

One of the most poignant moments from the weekend came from journalist Jahan de Bellaigue, who has been reporting from Beirut as the war wages on – an occupation his parents are concerningly "blasé about." He told the audience of the remarkable similarities between the Lebanese army mess and a boys' boarding house – the gallows humour that helped maintain some semblance of normalcy in these extraordinary times. He also remarked how this was the first time "looking head-on at the hatred that humanity can foster for its fellow man, the destruction that it can wreak, and revel in it." Yet, in the last eight months, his biggest takeaway is that "in the midst of evil and tragedy, supreme human goodness will always rear its beautiful head."