Major new bilingual festival celebrates Welsh
literature and landscape
Friday 29 June – Sunday 1 July
“Here myth merges with history, poetry with
story…nowhere better than Dinefwr to celebrate with a festival of words.”
Gillian Clarke, National Poet of Wales
Howard Marks, Julian Cope, Sir Andrew Motion, Gruff Rhys and Gillian Clarke are amongst the stellar line-up of guests
confirmed to appear at the inaugural Dinefwr Festival of Literature in Wales
this summer.
This three-day bilingual festival will combine award-winning writers,
poet laureates, fringe acts and musicians in a celebration of the written word
and the mythical landscape of the National Trust’s Dinefwr Park and Castle. Set
in the heart of Carmarthenshire, West Wales, the festival will be the first of
its kind promising an eclectic mix of high quality literature, music, comedy
and cinema.
With its dedicated camping field, outdoor entertainment, stalls and
excellent local food, the festival is set to be a top cultural destination this
year, putting fun, family and a love of good literature at its very heart.
Further confirmed festival guests include: the award-winning writer and
filmmaker Iain Sinclair; poet and broadcaster Luke Wright;
novelist, poet and football devotee, Joe Dunthorne together with writer
and professor of linguistics, David Crystal and Irish short-story writer
Claire Keegan. Beside this impressive line-up of writers, Dinefwr will
host events by the cult Brautigan Book Club which started out as a
monthly night at Bethnal Green’s Working Men’s Club, and Caught by the
River who will be delivering a programme of talks by writers,
musicians and journalists throughout the weekend. Many of the events
will be in both English and Welsh language, with confirmed Welsh writers
including Rhys Iorwerth, John Davies and Dewi Prysor.
The weekend’s music will
be curated by SŴN’s John Rostron and BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens who together
put on gigs year-round, predominantly in Wales. Along with Gruff Rhys
and Julian Cope, Emmy the Great will be performing, along with
further names to be announced.
Huw Stephens comments: “Sŵn
promotes and celebrates new music coming in and out of Wales. It means ‘Sound’
and is pronounced ‘soon’. We curate stages at other choice UK and international
festivals and events too, which is why we're extremely proud to be curating the
musical content for the inaugural Dinefwr Literature Festival.”
Parents can be assured
that there will be plenty to keep children of all ages entertained. The
first names to be announced include the creator of the million-selling Eddy
and the Bear trilogy, Jez Alborough, plus the author and science
writer Mark Brake and rap artist John Chase who explore the
science and fiction of time travel and alien biology in the Science
Fiction of Dr Who. Over the weekend there’ll be creative fun and games
with the Hunga Munga collective whose slogan is to ‘Make Stuff, Make
Friends, Make a Mess’.
Dinefwr Literature Festival is a collaboration between Literature Wales,
the National Trust and the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David (as lead
partner in the Coracle programme).
Lleucu Siencyn, Chief Executive of Literature Wales, adds:
“Wales has an unbroken tradition of celebrating poetry and song, from
the National Eisteddfod to the Hay Festival: we like to shout out loud about
literature. This year Dinefwr Literature Festival will bring the ancient
surroundings alive through a sparkling blend of comedy, music and the best
literature we have on offer. Don’t miss it.”
Gillian Clarke, National Poet of Wales comments: “I’ve always thought
Carmarthenshire – Sir Gaerfyrddin – one of the loveliest counties in Wales.
Named for Myrddin, Merlin the wizard, (the very thought turns a pen to a wand),
and the Roman ‘Caer’, it is rich in famous gardens, historic houses and
castles, and one of the greatest of these is the castle and estate of Dinefwr,
near Llandeilo. Once seat of the Lord Rhys, here myth merges with history,
poetry with story. A herd of legendary White Cattle still grazes the valley,
real, yet a haunting symbol of the ancientness of the place. Nowhere
better than Dinefwr to celebrate with a festival of words.”
Tickets
Both weekend and day tickets are available for the festival. Adult
Weekend passes start at £45 for Earlybird bookings (on sale from 13 March)
which includes entrance to all festival events. After 2 April , Adult Weekend
passes are £65, with a discount for National Trust and Literature Wales
members. Adult Day Tickets start at £25; children under 5 go free, and weekend
and day tickets for children aged 6-16 are £10 and £5 respectively. Camping
tickets are an additional £20 per tent for a maximum of four people sharing.
No comments:
Post a Comment