Margaret Atwood on stage at festival

Literary Calendar

Margaret Atwood at the Guardian Hay Festival

Find out about literary events throughout the year

16 May 2008 40th Anniversary
Happy Birthday Booker

Charleston Festival

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the prestigious Man Booker Prize, Victoria Glendinning, former Booker judge and biographer of Leonard Woolf, will chair a book club where members of a literary panel champion their own favourite Booker novel, as well as those that did not make it. The panel will include writer, presenter, comedian and judge of this year’s Prize, Hardeep Singh Kohli; Kate Mosse, co-founder of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction, hugely successful author of Labyrinth (Richard and Judy Book of the Year), Sepulchre, and presenter of Radio 4’s A Good Read.

More information available »


28 May 2008 
Ian Fleming Centenary

Devil May Care, the much anticipated new James Bond book by Sebastian is published by Penguin on 28 May to mark the centenary of Ian Fleming. Penguin will also be publishing new hardback editions of all 14 of the original Bond novels under a special 007 imprint. The centenary will also be marked by a special centenary edition of the children’s classic, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Alongside these centenary celebrations there will also be the publication of Hurricane Gold in paperback, the latest in Charlie Higson's Yound Bond series and The Moneypenny Diaries - Final Fling by Kate Westbrook, third in the series following the affairs and adventures of James Bond's right-hand woman.


1 June 2008 - 30 June 2008 
Orange Prize for Fiction

The date for this event has not yet been confirmed. The Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes, awarded annually for the best original full-length novel by a female author of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK in the preceding year. The winner of the prize receives £30,000, along with a bronze sculpture


3 June 2008 
Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 shortlist readings

Toronto, Canada

The Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 shortlisted poets will read from their nominated works at the MacMillan Theatre in downtown Toronto. Tickets for this popular event go quickly, so stay tuned for the announcement of their availability.

More information available »


4 June 2008 
Griffin Poetry Prize 2008 awards announced

The Canadian and International winners of the 2008 Griffin Poetry Prize will be announced this evening at a gala celebration.

More information available »


29 July 2008 
Man Booker Prize for Fiction longlist annoucement

The judging panel for the 2008 Man Booker Prize for Fiction today (Tuesday 29 July) announces the longlist of books for this year. The winner will be announced on October 14.


9 August 2008 - 25 August 2008 
Edinburgh International Book Festival

The Edinburgh International Book Festival began in 1983 and is now a key event in the August Festival season, celebrated annually in Scotland's capital city. Biennial at first, the Book Festival became a yearly celebration in 1997.

More information available »


9 September 2008 
Man Booker Prize for Fiction shortlist announced

The judging panel for the 2008 Man Booker Prize for Fiction today (Tuesday 9 Septemeber) announces the shortlist of books for this year. The winner will be announced on October 14.


8 October 2008 
Forward Prizes for Poetry winner announced

On the eve of National Poetry Day, the winners of the Forward Prizes for Poetry will be announced at a venue in London. The Forward Prizes are the only major poetry prizes that seek to reward both established and new writers. William Sieghart, Chairman of the Forward Arts Foundation, founded the Prizes to provide a showcase for contemporary poetry. The prizes are worth £16,000 in total.

More information available »


9 October 2008 
National Poetry Day

National Poetry Day was launched in 1994 by William Sieghart of The Forward Arts Foundation and The Poetry Society to fuel the nation’s enthusiasm for verse, and to provide a platform for poets and poetry of all kinds. Having a new theme every year keeps the annual campaign fresh. Themes have included Food, Journeys, Britain Identity, Dreams and this year's theme of Work.

More information available »


10 October 2008 - 19 October 2008 
The Times Cheltenham Literary Festival 2007

Now in its 59th year, Cheltenham is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the literary festivals. Its reputation is rooted in its illustrious tradition of bringing an array of world-renowned writers, critics, historians, actors, playwrights and thinkers to the historic Regency Spa town of Cheltenham every October. The Festival uses twelve venues over ten days with more than 300 events for adults, children and families to whet all literary appetites.

More information available »


14 October 2008 
Man Booker Prize for Fiction winner annouced

The winning author and title for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2008 will be announced today.


31 December 2008 
Deadline for entries for the 2009 Griffin Poetry Prize

The deadline for the $100,000 (Canadian) 2009 Griffin Poetry Prize is December 31, 2008 for books published between January 1 and December 31, 2008.

More information available »


The Man Booker Prize Fiction at its finest