Treasure Island; a talk and a wicker man

I have been asked to speak at the City Museum, Bristol, during "Treasure Island 125", a year-long celebration remembering the part Bristol played in Robert Louis Stevenson's great classic adventure novel first published in 1883.

City Museum, Bristol. Tuesday 13th May 2008 from 6.00 to 7.30pm

This wicker man is modelled on a character from Treasure Island and is one of several ideas submitted for the Bristol waterfront. The sculptor is Stephen Froom. Other ideas include silhouettes of Mervyn Peake's illustrations for the novel and a brass plaque to be installed in the dock area of Bristol.

A talk in Eastbourne

The Ashridge Circle, which celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 2007, has invited me to speak at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne, on December 8th 2008. The largest lecture society in Britain, and possibly Europe, they will be hosting an event at which an estimated 1500 members will be attending.

Two new translations

One of Hungary's leading publishers Pecsi Direkt is to publish Titus Groan within the next twelve months.

Following the success of Titus Groan Saida de Emergencia will also soon be publishing Gormenghast in Portugese.

Poetry Please

Radio 4 broadcast Out of the Chaos of my Doubt on their Poetry Please programme, broadcast on the 10th February. It will be repeated at 11.30pm on Saturday 16th February. The reader was Mark Meadows who can be heard until Saturday by following the BBC link.