Everything you need to know about the Cambridge Literary Festival

Someone once told me that the definition of a writer is when they don’t get off the bus because the conversation they are listening to is too intriguing. Imagine then what you might overhear at Parker’s Tavern on April 19 as you munch your way through your beer-battered lemon sole and chips.

For crime writers Elly Griffiths and Val McDermid are hosting a two-course lunch there in which they talk about why crime writing is so addictive and their latest page-turners. It is just one of the events going on during this spring’s Cambridge Literary Festival, which runs from April 17 - 21.

To make the most of it book into Cambridge’s loveliest hotel, the University Arms (home to Parker’s Tavern) which champions the written word at every turn.  Wind in the Willows plays on a loop in the Ladies and Gents on the ground floor, whilst rooms come with shelves of books, curated by the wonderful Heywood Hill, which entice you to drop everything and dig in.

Suites are named after authors who have Cambridge connections – from Virginia Woolf to Charles Darwin and should there be something particular you want to read, a press of a button will guarantee you an appointment with the Book Butler in the hotel’s library. After discussing your preferences with him, he will hand-pick a selection of books and deliver them to your room.

Don’t though miss the talks going on during the festival. Andrew O’Hagan is in conversation with Alex Clark on the April 17 from 6pm at the University Arms.  Nominated for the Booker Prize three times, O’Hagan discusses his recently released, state-of-the-nation epic, Caledonian Road, which has been called ‘addictive and irresistible’ and tells the story of one man’s dramatic fall from grace.

But there is something for everyone at this festival. Clare Balding shares her love of dogs, Margaret Drabble looks back on her remarkable career and Paul Lynch, winner of 2023’s Booker Prize for his novel, Prophet Song, is in conversation with broadcaster and journalist Alex Clark; the latter also at the University Arms.

Over in the Old Divinity School, Jacqueline Rose, a prominent feminist and cultural critic presents her recent book The Plague, as she and fellow author Marina Benjamin of A Little Give, a book that dives into the emotional load of women’s work, talk about their work set in a contemporary world.

As we step out of the dark days of winter, a few thought-provoking days in the very comfortable confines of the University Arms and the wider wonders of Cambridge itself seems just the ticket to welcome in spring.

Doubles at the University Arms start from £204 per night on a B&B basis. For more information, please visit. universityarms.com