And it’s begun! As anticipation builds for the main event next weekend, the Literary Quiz kicked off the 2024 Cuckfield Bookfest on Friday night – an entertaining evening filled with erudite teams.
Read on to find out more, and although many events have sold out, there are still some tickets available for next Saturday and Sunday.
Check out all the events below.
The famous Cuckfield Bookfest Literary Quiz was held on Friday 27th September and the Hayloft at the Talbot Inn was packed as usual for this hugely popular event. Six rounds of challenging literary questions tested the knowledge of everyone present and the winners, after a closely contested competition, was Team Halycon whose literary knowledge was truly outstanding. Following closely were Les Quizerables in 2nd place and Nymans Book Nook were third.
Many thanks to the amazing team of compilers who once again produced an awesome collection of questions.
Join us for a double billing of true-life spy tales with Alex Grant & Tim Tate
In September 1962, John Vassall, a clerk at the Admiralty in London, was exposed as a Soviet spy, having been blackmailed into handing over British defence secrets for seven years. Sex, Spies and Scandal covers this dramatic story, featuring a honey trap, espionage, jailed journalists, and a tabloid witch-hunt that nearly toppled Harold Macmillan’s government.
Tate’s To Catch a Spy uncovers the British government’s attempts to silence whistleblower Peter Wright and hide truths about Britain’s intelligence services. This conversation promises to delve into espionage, government cover-ups, and political scandals.
Alex Grant, a freelance writer and lecturer, and Tim Tate, a multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist, will discuss their works with Andrew Lownie.
On the 150th anniversary of his birth, this insightful portrait of Winston Churchill delves beyond well-known political moments, incorporating perspectives from various individuals who encountered him throughout his life.
Despite such a well-documented life, these 90 encounters capture the more elusive aspects of his character, brought out in greater clarity as though meeting him in full colour.
Sinclair McKay is The Sunday Times bestselling author of Berlin, Dresden, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, The Secret Listeners, Bletchley Park Brainteasers and Secret Service Brainteasers. He is a literary critic for The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator.
We have a special children’s author Sarah Crossan who will be joining us on stage Sunday 6th Oct. Sarah is a fantastic speaker, lively and engaging and was the Laureate na nÓg (Ireland’s Children’s Literature Laureate) from 2018–2020. She has won a number of awards for her novels and was shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Awards 2017 and the YA Book Prize 2018.
Aimed at 12+ audience, this year she is appearing at the festival to talk about her new book, Where The Heart Should Be, revisiting the time of the Great Hunger in Ireland.
And for everyone who is planning to come and hear Sophie Hardach as part of the Big Book Group, we look forward to welcoming you to this entertaining event and remind you to send in any questions before the session, by emailing
info@cuckfieldbookfest.co.uk.
Only a handful of tickets left for this lively interactive Creative Writing Workshop.
Join Sue Gee, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and teacher at the Faber Academy. Sue’s workshop will teach strong characterisation from contemporary fiction.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Cuckfield Bookfest next weekend.
Best wishes
Cuckfield Bookfest Team
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