Zadie Smith at Hurst Festival, in partnership with Cuckfield Bookfest

Cuckfield Bookfest is delighted to be joining forces with Hurst Festival this September, bringing bestselling novelist Zadie Smith to Holy Trinity Church for an evening with one of Britain’s most distinctive literary voices.

One of Britain’s most celebrated novelists, Zadie Smith, will discuss The Fraud, her brilliant, witty first foray into historical fiction.

The Fraud is rooted in the real-life Tichborne case, a Victorian trial that gripped the nation. When a man claiming to be the long-lost heir to a baronetcy arrives in England, Andrew Bogle – a man who grew up enslaved on a Jamaican sugar plantation – finds himself a key witness, with his own future resting on which story gets believed. Spanning literary London and the cane fields of Jamaica, the novel is a sharp and searching exploration of truth, identity, class and whose voice carries weight.

Smith is the bestselling author of White Teeth, On Beauty, NW and Swing Time, and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Women’s Prize. The Fraud marked her return to long-form fiction after several years and was named one of the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year and one of NPR’s Best Books of the Year.

This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the sharpest literary minds at work — in conversation about a novel that feels as timely as it does Victorian.

When: 16 September, 7.30–8.30pm
Where: Holy Trinity Church, Hurstpierpoint

Tickets will be available closer to the event date

Cuckfield Bookfest goes all in:

We’ve pledged our support for the National Year of Reading 2026

We’re thrilled to announce that Cuckfield Bookfest has pledged its support for the National Year of Reading 2026 — a UK-wide campaign calling on all of us to go all in with reading.

The National Year of Reading, led by the National Literacy Trust and backed by the Department for Education, exists for one simple reason: reading transforms lives. It expands worlds, sharpens minds, and fuels creativity and yet reading for pleasure is in decline across all age groups. This is a moment for communities, organisations, and individuals to come together and change that.

As a book festival that has celebrated the joy of reading in the heart of Mid Sussex for nearly a decade, pledging our support felt like the most natural thing in the world. We’re committed to spreading the word about the campaign, championing reading with local schools, and making our 2026 festival a moment that puts books and reading centre stage for everyone.

Because books aren’t just something we love. They’re something we believe in.
Find out more and pledge your own support at goallin.org.uk.