Writers from Michael Palin to Claire Messud, Michael Ondaatje to Richard Ford have spent a week crossing military checkpoints to perform literary events across Palestine. Their words are now collected in a breathtakingly original book of new writing
William Sutcliffe is the author of twelve novels, including the international bestseller Are You Experienced? and The Wall, which was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. He has written for adults, young adults and children, and has been translated into twenty-eight languages. His 2008 novel Whatever Makes You Happy is now a Netflix Original film starring Patricia Arquette, Felicity Huffman and Angela Bassett. It was released in August 2019 under the title Otherhood.
His latest novel, The Gifted, The Talented and Me, was described by The Times as 'dangerously funny' and by the Guardian as 'refreshingly hilarious'.
Michael Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka and lives in Toronto. The English Patient won the Booker Prize in 1992 and was made into an Oscar-winning film directed by Anthony Minghella.
Michael Palin was born in Sheffield in 1943. He was a founder member of the Monty Python team and has written and performed in numerous successful films and television series, including
The Missionary,
Time Bandits,
A Private Function,
A Fish Called Wanda,
American Friends and
GBH. In addition to the bestselling
Around the World in 80 Days and
Pole to Pole, he has written a number of books, notably
Ripping Yarns with Terry Jones, and several children's books including
The Mirrorstone,
Small Harry and the Toothache Pills,
Limericks and the
Cyril stories. His first stage play,
The Weekend, was first performed at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford before transferring to the Strand Theatre in London, 1994, with Richard Wilson in the lead role.
China Miéville has received numerous awards for his writing, including the Arthur C. Clarke Award (three times), the British Fantasy Award (twice), and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (four times). His novels include
Perdido Street Station,
King Rat,
Un Lun Dun,
The City & The City,
Railsea and
The Last Days of New Paris. He has also written a narrative history of the Bolshevik Revolution,
October.
Gillian Slovo is an author, journalist, playwright and the President of English Pen. Gillian has written 12 novels including Black Orchids and Red Dust, which won the RFI Temoin du Monde prize in France and was made into a film starring Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Her novel Ice Road was shortlisted for the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction and her family memoir, Every Secret Thing, was an international bestseller. Her play Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom , co-written for the Tricycle Theatre, has played in theatres around the world including New York and Washington DC. Her edited interviews with women politicians was put on as part of the Tricycle's 2010 Women Power and Politics Season. In 2009 she won an amnesty media award for her article on children in detention. She is a reviewer, opinion writer and in 2008 wrote a column for the South African newspaper, The Star.