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Ely Events and Reading Groups

In this atmospheric medieval city, just over an hour from London by train, author events range from reading groups and intimate events in the bookshop to the drama of performances under the world-renowned Octagon of Ely Cathedral. We hold events all year round, but in the autumn there is a special focus on the Ely Literary Festival.

RG Katy March

Reading Group

Tuesday 19th March, 7.30pm

Growing up in Edwardian South London, Alice Rowlands longs for romance and excitement, for a release from a life that is dreary, restrictive and lonely. Her …

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RG RPJ  March

Reading Group

Tuesday 19th March, 7.30pm

In recent years the remarkable novels of the Nobel Prize-winning Icelander Halldor Laxness have been re-discovered to a new generation of English-language readers. Written towards the …

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Caroline Biggs combined

Caroline Biggs

Wednesday 20th March, 7.30pm

Cambridge University is renowned worldwide for its academic prowess, but below the surface lurks a murky past.During the nineteenth century, the university became infamous for its …

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Higgins combined

Michael Higgins

Monday 15th April, 7.30pm

Michael Higgins, the former Dean of Ely Cathedral, joins us upon the launch of his book, Archdeacon Grantly Walks Again.Anthony Trollope's novels contain vivid character sketches …

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Smith combined

Oliver Smith

Thursday 18th April, 7.30pm

Acclaimed travel writer Oliver Smith sets out to radically reframe our idea of 'pilgrimage' in Britain by retracing sacred travel made across time, from murmurs of …

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legion combined

British Museum: Legion

Monday 29th April, 7.30pm

The British Museum returns to Ely! The second event in our rich collaborative programme of events with the British Museum, and designed to accompany the magnificent …

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Bridget Walsh event image

Bridget Walsh

Thursday 30th May, 7.30pm

East-Anglia author Bridget Walsh joins us upon the launch of The Innocents, another fantastically gritty Victorian crime novel from the author of The Tumbling Girl .The …

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3 dads event image

Three Dads Walking

Monday 3rd June, 7.30pm

Mike Palmer from Greater Manchester, Andy Airey from Cumbria, and Tim Owen from Norfolk, known as 3 Dads Walking, all lost their daughters to suicide. They …

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Clare Mulley combined

Clare Mulley

Tuesday 4th June, 7.30pm

Historian Clare Mulley returns to Ely to shre the incredible story of Elzbieta Zawacka, the WW2 female resistance fighter known as Agent Zo.Agent Zo was the …

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perry_combined

Sarah Perry

Thursday 13th June, 7.30pm

Sarah Perry, beloved author of The Essex Serpent and Melmoth, returns in 2024 with her finest novel to date, Enlightenment. Described by Sean Hewitt as a …

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Hastings combined

Max Hastings

Wednesday 3rd July, 7.30pm

Leading historian Max Hastings returns to Ely for his latest book, Operation Biting.Operation Biting was one of the most thrilling British commando raids of World War …

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Leon combined

Donna Leon

Monday 15th July, 7.30pm

Commissario Guido Brunetti returns with a gripping and powerful case about the murkiness of power and a test of loyalties.When two teenage gangs are arrested after …

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