Louis de Bernières to launch StAnza Festival 2014

Taking place in St. Andrews from 5 to 9 March next year, the annual StAnza Poetry Festival will be launched by internationally acclaimed novelist Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, returning to the festival for the first time in a decade.

De Bernières will be coming to the festival to talk about his first poetry collection, Imagining Alexandria: Poems in Memory of Constantinos Cavafis, released earlier this year. "Coming to St Andrews ten years ago to read my own poetry for the first time in public gave me the confidence to rework everything I’d done, produce a great deal more, and get my first collection published," commented de Bernières. "I will always be grateful to the StAnza festival, and always delighted to return."

Also appearing at the festival will be acclaimed poets John Burnside, current UK poet laureate Carol-Ann Duffy, Tishani Doshi and Paul Muldoon. The programme also features ties to both Homecoming Scotland 2014 and the Commonwealth Games, with new poems from Glasgow poetry network St Mungo’s Mirrorball, inspired by Commonwealth sports, and a circus show, Rime, based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's classic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and an exhibition, The Lightfoot Letters, combining textile art, poetry and the social history of the inter-war years. There will also be a focus on war poetry, with exhibitions and poetry events highlighting the poetic legacy of WW1 and other wars, featuring contributions from Stephen Raw, Duffy, David Constantine and others. There will be a full programme of events, readings and workshops to explore – find out the details here.

StAnza 2012 from StAnza Poetry Festival on Vimeo.