Book Festival

Adam Zagajewski 17^th Aug 12 noon.

Adam Zagajewski is regarded as the greatest of contemporary Polish poets. He was one of the leading poets of the Polish New Wave, known as the “Generation of ‘68” He is well known in his own country for “Try to Praise the Wounded World”, published in the new Yorker after 9/11. He has lectured in America for more than twenty years. He gave a reading of poems from different parts of his life, which took us to many unexpected places – including exploring the Baltic coast with his father as a boy.(He had to become an émigré at a very early age).

His poetry covers a very wide range of thought, ideas and experiences. Maybe his name will be mentioned in the same breath as a Nobel before too long.

Book Festival

Bettany Hughes.  The Hemlock Cup.  Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life.

Vintage Press £9.99

Saturday 13^th August. 15.30

Bettany Hughes is a writer who conveys a great sense of energy and enthusiasm – in her presence and in her writing. She makes repeated reference to recent archaeological discoveries and what they show us about the world that Socrates lived in. Whether this refers to the Agora, to footwear, to the Athenian liking for fish up from the port of Piraeus – hence a quite familiar liking for fish suppers – or to Socrates’ experience of war as a young man – all these details help bring the world of 2,500 years ago alive and seem immediate.

She spoke of how Socrates was accused of dishonouring the local gods and of corrupting youth. This was pretty inevitable given that he questioned everything – that was his method of thinking. Thus he even questioned democracy when the resulting crowd tended to vote for war every other year. He also – perhaps given his own experiences – was given to ask hunky young warriors if they really wanted to risk their lives in war. Not popular. He was also not above chatting up young men in the gymnasia – so we were told.

Perhaps inevitably, someone asked if Bettany Hughes saw any connection between Socrates and Jesus. She replied that a connection lay perhaps in an emphasis on love – not necessarily, in Socrates case, sexual love or spiritual love, but a love of life that made you want to get up in the morning and explore the world and live life intensely. I’m sure Bettany Hughes has this approach to life – she is most certainly a dynamic and inspiring academic, and she surely made all present want to learn more about her subject. There could not have been more present – the tent was packed, and I could barely find a space in a corner.

Her book is fascinating and enlightening, and I hope it receives a very wide readership.