International Literary Properties is proud to sponsor the 2024 Oxford Literary Festival as the Festival Literary Heritage Partner.
This year, ILP also sponsored the Sharing the Love of Writing event at the festival, featuring husband and wife writers Kate Mosse and Greg Mosse.
Kate Mosse is the multi-million bestselling author of Labyrinth, the first in the Languedoc trilogy that also includes Sepulchre and Citadel. Her work also includes The Joubert Family Chronicles, the latest of which is The Ghost Ship, a story of piracy, romance and revenge set on the Barbary Coast in the 17th century.Theatre director, playwright and actor, Greg Mosse has written, produced and staged 25 plays and musicals but during lockdown he turned to fiction writing. The first of his novels, The Coming Darkness, is a dystopian thriller set in the near future where global warming and pathogenic viruses have torn the fabric of society.
Together they were interviewed by journalist Nick Higham about their shared love of writing and their most recent books. Kate Mosse professed that she cannot read any new books when she is writing, so she delves into re-reading golden age crime, including books by ILP author Ngaio Marsh.
“The Oxford Literary Festival is a world-class literary event driven by a passion for literature and the work of great writers, a passion shared by all of us at ILP. We are proud to be the Festival Literary Heritage Partner sponsors for 2024, and to extend our sponsorship to Kate and Greg Mosse’s event ‘Sharing the Love of Writing’. It is a theme close to our hearts, and chimes with our deep and abiding love for books along with our desire to protect and nurture literary legacies for future generations.”
– ILP CEO, UK & Europe, Hilary Strong
The ILP Team also attended an array of compelling, insightful, and entertaining events throughout the festival, some highlights of which include:
Irish novelist and winner of the 2023 Booker Prize Paul Lynch talking about his winning novel ‘Prophet Song,’ a deeply moving exploration of what happened to ordinary people caught up in terrible events.
‘Some Places Cry out for Murder’ with Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves, chaired by Alan Johnson. These critically acclaimed crime authors explored the evocation of place in their work, from DI Matthew Venn’s foray to the wild shore of a remote Devon village to Karen Pirie navigating the COVID-stricken streets of Edinburgh.
National treasure Michael Rosen discussing his new book ‘The Incredible Adventures of Gaston Le Dog,’ a playful tale that sprinkles myth, magic and fairy tale to tell the story of one dog’s odyssey to return to the beautiful beach he remembers from years ago.
‘Hard Times and Fearless Living’ with bestselling author, comedian, actress and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax, and Buddhist monk, meditation teacher and author Gelong Thubten. Ruby discussed her latest book ‘I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was’ and took us through a guided meditation. Gelong imparted some wisdom from his latest book ‘Handbook for Hard Times: A Monk’s Guide to Fearless Living’, in which he describes how happiness, kindness and resilience can be cultivated by reframing life’s difficulties as opportunities for transformation.
‘Chancellor’s Lecture: From China to the Middle East and Ukraine’ with Chris Patten in his last appearance at the festival before his retirement as the Chancellor of Oxford University, in conversation with Tom Fletcher. The conversation begun with discussing Patten’s latest book ‘Hong Kong Diaries,’ and ended with Patten revealing the best piece of political advice he has received: “It’s more important to be generous than efficient.”
‘A Date with Language: Fascinating Facts, Events and Stories for Every Day of the Year’ with linguist David Crystal interviewed by Samuel Fanous, celebrating the creativity of all those who have illuminated our understanding of language with a series of facts and stories for every day of the year.
‘Eliza Mace: Uncovering the Truth’ with Professor Jem Poster and Sarah Burton, novelists and creative writing tutors, talking about co-authoring their recent novel ‘Eliza Mace’ and offering insights into historical and detective fiction for both readers and aspiring writers.
