Famed legal thriller writer Grisham to appear at literary festival
JOHN GRISHAM will be a headline author at a UK crime writing festival in Harrogate where he will appear with writer Lee Child. The author of The Firm, The
Pelican Brief and A Time To Kill will be interviewed on stage at the Theakston Crime Writing Festival by Child, who is responsible for the Jack Reacher series.
Grisham will join previously announced special guest and
Savages author Don Winslow.
He said: “I’ve never been to Harrogate or even to Yorkshire and I’m really looking forward to the festival.”
Child, who is the programming chairman of the festival, added: “As I live in New York, I’m bringing some very special American friends over and John Grisham and Don Winslow are two of the biggest authors out there. I’m really delighted they’ll be hanging out in Harrogate.
“Alongside the blockbuster heavyweights, festival-goers can expect a really diverse mix of authors and panel events. It’s fun to add my stamp as chair and bring some different names to Harrogate for the first time.”
The full 2018 programme will be announced in April.
The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Europe’s largest event dedicated to celebrating crime fiction, takes place on July 19-22 at The Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.
Dubbed ‘America’s favourite storyteller’ Grisham is synonymous with the modern legal thriller. The lawyer-turned-author has had nine of his books adapted to film, including The Firm with Tom Cruise, The Pelican Brief starring Julia Roberts, and A Time to Kill featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey. His latest novel, The
Rooster Bar, became a number one New York Times bestseller when it was released last October. It will be published in paperback in July 2018 to coincide with Grisham’s visit to Harrogate. There are over 300 million John Grisham books in print worldwide. Child and Winslow have both sold well over 100 million books.
Title sponsor and executive director of T&R Theakston, Simon Theakston, said: “Over the years the festival has hosted iconic names from PD James to JK Rowling.
“2018 has to be the first year we’ve had three American crime writing titans of this scale in our line-up.
“It’s a testament to the programming committee and Harrogate International Festivals that 2018 will be one of the most hotly anticipated events in the literary calendar.”