Boar Books take on the Hay Festival

Where in the UK can you see Malala Yousafzai, Hugh Bonneville, and Dawn French on the same weekend? At the Hay Festival, of course! 

Set up in 1987, the Hay Festival is a literary and cultural festival that takes place every year in the charming town of Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Hay is “world renowned for books”, boasting a staggering number of 25 independent bookshops. With a variety of cafés and its own castle too, Hay is the perfect setting for a festival built on stories. 

Every person you see probably has a book with them

The Hay Festival attracts book lovers of all ages from across the world. I overheard one festival-goer remark: “I love seeing all these people sitting around reading”. Hay truly is unique in the fact that every person you see probably has a book with them.

The festival presents a large variety of talks from authors, comedians, and journalists. Four stages host these famous guests, displaying conversations that span theme and genre. This year’s headliners consisted of Matt Haig, Ocean Vuong, Emma Thompson, Ruth Jones, Maggie O’Farrell, and Tom Allen, to name just a few. The festival is free to enter, meaning anyone can attend author book signings at the Festival Bookshop, even if they haven’t bought an event ticket. In the Broadcast Tent, live BBC Radio 4 shows are also free to attend.

In one New York Times article, former US President Bill Clinton described the Hay Festival as “Woodstock of the mind”, and I would agree that there is a sense of magic at this festival. Being surrounded by so many interesting, diverse voices creates an atmosphere of inspiration.

I was fortunate enough to attend Malala’s talk at the festival where she discussed her new book, Finding My Way. She discussed her own struggles with mental health and explored the process of going back through her memories to curate her book. Reflecting upon when she was attacked, she said: “Bravery is not a life where you are completely fearless… bravery is when you do what you believe in, even when you are scared.” Malala ended her talk by urging that “change is collective activism”, adding that we can only understand the world better by acting together and appreciating alternative viewpoints. 

Books speak on a personal level to a human audience

I also listened to Matt Haig discuss his new novel, The Midnight Train. It was fascinating to hear his perspective on the relevance of literature in our modern world. He argued that the “fundamental reason that we read is to understand ourselves as humans”. Haig’s talk confirmed that creative industries such as literature still need human input, as books speak on a personal level to a human audience. I was even lucky enough to meet Haig at his book signing event, where I explained that I was writing this article for The Boar’s Books section, to which he replied: “It’s up to you to keep this alive.” No pressure, right?

Another talk was a discussion of the misrepresentation of female leaders in history, hosted by historian Janina Ramirez, author Elodie Harper, and journalist Samira Ahmed. In discussing Harper’s novel Boudicca’s Daughter and Ramirez’s novel Legenda, the writers highlighted the suppression of historical figures such as Joan of Arc, Boudicca, and Lady Godiva, through what Ramirez described as an “opening up of perspectives”. 

Ramirez and Harper rediscover these women who have been fundamental to myth and global history

Many key aspects of these female figures have been lost to time and, in their novels, Ramirez and Harper rediscover these women who have been fundamental to myth and global history. For example, Ramirez commented that we only imagine Boudicca having red hair as Queen Elizabeth I herself intended to mirror Boudicca’s influential image. There is actual evidence, however, suggesting Boudicca’s hair was more tawny than red.

I also watched Dawn French in conversation with reverend-turned-author Richard Coles as they discussed grief and French’s latest novel, Enough. Her novel follows 68-year-old Etta, who decides that it is her last day on earth as she has experienced ‘enough’ in life – not because she is irritated with the world, but because she is satisfied with everything that has happened so far and doesn’t want to become a burden to her family. French describes it as what she hopes to be “a life-affirming book about the end of life”. 

Politics is complicated, kindness doesn’t have to be

Jessica Swale, Paddington: The Musical writer

The final talk I watched was a celebration of 100 years of Michael Bond, author of the cherished Paddington books. Hugh Bonneville, Michael Morpurgo, Jessica Swale (the writer of Paddington: The Musical) and Karen Jankel (Bond’s daughter) discussed the bear we all know and love, from the words on the page to the big screen and, more recently, live on stage. Swale emphasised how Paddington “represents refugees specifically”, and recognised that even though “politics is complicated, kindness doesn’t have to be”. 

The Hay Festival’s slogan is: “To change the world, you have to look at it differently.” This festival truly encompasses the wonder of literature and the arts, the impact words can have upon individuals, and the power they hold to change the world.