Established in 2017, the Festival has featured a stellar international cast of novelists, historians, screenwriters, film directors, actors, spies, generals and politicians – from Leila Slimani, Ben Okri, Hallie Rubenhold, Ian McEwan, David Olusoga, Armando Iannucci, Bret Easton Ellis, Susannah Lipscomb, Natascha McElhone, Emily Maitlis, Brian Cox, Elif Shafak and Howard Jacobson to Alain de Botton, Niall Ferguson, Simon Schama, Sarah Waters, Jade Anouka, Ayan Hirsi Ali, Robert Harris, Rory Stewart, Stephen Frears, Michael Gove, Kwasi Kwarteng, Tristram Hunt and June Sarpong.
Our line-up for 2021 which included David Baddiel, Emerald Fennell, Olivette Otele, Peter Frankopan, Amor Towles, Chibundu Onuzo, Lior Raz, Sebastian Faulks, Kate Bingham and General Petraeus – once again embodied Cliveden’s long tradition as a political and literary salon.
Hailed by Alain de Botton as ‘the most dignified and beautiful literature festival on the planet’ and described by Ian McEwan as ‘probably the world’s best small literary festival’, the Cliveden Literary Festival is now firmly established in the literary calendar.
