In Wartime: Stories from Ukraine
Speakers: Tim Judah, Ben Judah In his new book, veteran war reporter Tim Judah examines the impact of ongoing conflict on the inhabitants of Ukraine. He talks to mothers, soldiers, businessmen, poets and politicians, whose memories of a contested past shape their attitudes, allegiances and hopes for the future. With his son Ben Judah he […]
The Ignorant Maestro
Speakers: Itay Talgam In The Ignorant Maestro, symphony orchestra conductor Itay Talgam draws on his experience on the podium to reveal the conductor’s art. Turning to six of the most iconic conductors – from the dictatorial Muti to Bernstein – Talgam’s anecdotes and insights will change the way you think about listening, humility and the unpredictable path to […]
Forgotten Fictions: The Wise Virgins
Speakers: Nicola Beaumann, Lyndall Gordon, Anne Sebba JBW joins forces with the Society of Authors to celebrate Persephone Press’s new edition of Leonard Woolf’s forgotten classic, The Wise Virgins. Written on the Woolfs’ honeymoon in 1912, the semi-autobiographical novel examining moral, personal and social dilemmas is discussed by founder of Persephone Books Nicola Beaumann and literary biographer Lyndall Gordon, with Anne […]
Peggy Guggenheim: The Shock of the Modern
Philip Rylands – Director of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum – travelled especially from Venice to give this illustrated talk about the collection and its contents, also taking in the close connection between the works and the life of its founder. With her unique collecting habits, paradigm-changing discoveries, celebrity friendships, failed marriage and scandalous affairs, there […]
Catch The Jew
Speakers: Tuvia Tenenbom, Nick Cohen Who is Tuvia Tenenbom, alias Tobi the German, the Bnei Brak-born gonzo journalist who goes where others fear to tread? Everywhere Tobi ventures he encounters anti-Israel sentiment or self-hating Jews. Chaired by journalist Nick Cohen.
A Woman on the Edge of Time
Speakers: Jerey Gavron, Anne Karpf Jeremy Gavron’s searching account of his mother, who was rarely talked about after her death, documents the too-short life of this extraordinary woman, as he pieces together the events and pressures that led to Hannah Gavron’s suicide when he was just four. Jeremy Gavron discusses his deeply personal and moving […]
Loose Connections
Esther Menell, author of Loose Connections – a counterpoint to her friend and colleague Diana Athill’s publishing memoir Stet – joins forces with fellow-publisher Jeremy Lewis to throw light on the endlessly fascinating world of publishing. They recall larger-than-life characters, such as publishers, Andre Deutsch and Anthony Blond, and writers, Jean Rhys, V.S. Naipaul and Edmund […]
Waking Lions and Chains of Sand
Speakers: Ayelet Gundar-Goshen, Jemma Wayne, Josh Glancy Rapidly following her acclaimed debut One Night Markowitz, Ayelet Gundar-Goshen’s second novel, Waking Lions, is a gripping, suspenseful and morally devastating drama that looks at the darkness inside all of us. Jemma Wayne, whose debut novel, After, Before, was longlisted for the distinguished Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, joins Ayelet Gundar-Goshen and Josh Glancy to talk […]
Art and Religion in the 21st Century
In Art & Religion in the 21st Century, Aaron Rosen has conducted the first in-depth study of an international roster of contemporary artists who use their work to explore religion’s cultural, social, political and psychological impact on today’s world. He is joined by Rev. Professor Ben Quash and artist Leni Diner Dothan, who has created a specially-commissioned artwork for Jewish Book Week 2016.
Five Selves
Speakers: Emanuela Barasch-Rubinstein, Mekella Broomberg Scholar and author Emanuela Barasch-Rubinstein’s beautiful collection of short stories describes the five selves of modern Israeli identity, covering diverse themes from intergenerational concepts of identity to mourning a father’s death. She is in conversation with Mekella Broomberg
Love, Art and Literature
Speakers: Hannah Rothschild, Erica Wagner Hannah Rothschild, author of The Improbability of Love and the new Chair of the National Gallery Board of Trustees, knows a thing or two about art and how for some its pursuit can become an all-encompassing obsession. Her novel is imaginative, exuberant, often extremely funny, and is currently a nominee for the JQ-Wingate […]
Akiva: Life, Legend and Legacy
The legendary Akiva ben Josef has fascinated Jews for centuries. One of the most important early Jewish sages, his theology is still pondered, argued over and revered today. Rabbi Reuven Hammer throws new light on one of Judaism’s most powerful scholars. An event from 2016 Jewish Book Week.