Manchester Literature Festival 2012
8th – 23rd October 2012
Manchester
This year’s Manchester Literature Festival is packed with international authors. Literature Across Frontiers and Comma press will present Tramlines with Roman Simic and Michelle Green – two writers who have been crafting stories that capture the urban landscape along Manchester and Zagreb’s tram routes. You can hear from Jenn Ashworth and Nermin Yıldırım who have been exchanging letters between Manchester and Istanbul. They’ll discussing their literary correspondence as part of the Manchester Letters project. One of Iceland’s most entertaining and multitalented writers Hallgrímur Helgason will read from his comic thriller The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning. Gerður Kristný and Bejan Matur present their personal spins on established myths in new collections from Arc Publications. All this and more in Manchester this October…
Arc Poets – Gerður Kristný and Bejan Matur
19th October, 6pm
International Anthony Burgess Centre, Manchester
Gerður Kristný is a phenomenally energetic Icelandic writer, having produced 18 books of fiction and non-fiction prose, as well as children’s books and poetry. She has won numerous awards including the Icelandic Literature Prize in 2010 for Bloodhoof – a re-casting into spare modern verse of an ancient Eddic poem telling the epic tale of the abduction of Gerdur Gymisdottir from the land of giants. Kurdish writer Bejan Matur published her first prose book, about the PKK Guerillas, in 2011. Her latest poetry collection, How Abraham Abandoned Me, is a personalised iconography based on Islamic references and imagery, inspired by a pilgrimage to south-eastern Anatolia. In association with Arc Publications and Literature Across Frontiers.
Manchester Letters
20th October, 3.30pm
International Anthony Burgess Centre, Manchester
Commissioned as part of a special project supported by ITEF-Istanbul Tanpinar Literature Festival, Literature Across Frontiers, the British Council and the Garrick Charitable Trust, North West author Jenn Ashworth and Turkish author Nermin Yildirim have been corresponding over the summer about their writing lives atmanchesterletters.com. Now the literary penpals come together to share their latest fiction and discuss how differing social and political environments impact on their creativity. Read more and book tickets on the Manchester Literature Festival website.
Tramlines
20th October, 5pm
International Anthony Burgess Centre, Manchester
Tramlines is a project where writers from Europe on beyond explore new cities by tram and respond with a short story that captures the urban environment and community along the city’s tram route. The project will culminate in the launch of an iPhone app that allows readers to experience the stories as they travel. This event, presented by Literature Across Frontiers and Comma Press, sees Manchester author Michelle Green take us on an excursion through the Croatian capital, Zagreb, while renowned author, editor and festival director Roman Simićshines a new light on Manchester’s own Metrolink. Read more about Tramlines on our project page. Read more and book tickets on the Manchester Literature Festival website.
The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning – Hallgrímur Helgason
20th October, 7pm
International Anthony Burgess Centre, Manchester
Leading Icelandic writer and artist Hallgrímur Helgason reads from his comic thriller The Hitman’s Guide to Housecleaning, his first book originally written in English. Tomislav Bokšić, or Toxic, has a flawless record as a hitman for the Croatian mafia in New York but when he kills the wrong guy he is forced to flee to Reykjavik, Iceland – an island devoid of gun shops and no tradition for contract killing. A theatre version of the book was staged in Salzburg in November 2011 and a Hollywood film is in pre-production. This event is supported by LAF and the Icelandic Literature Fund. Read more and book tickets on the Manchester Literature Festival website.