About the event
The Oxford Literary Festival brings together leading authors and public figures in a magnificent setting in the centre of Oxford each year.
The Bodleian Libraries is a proud cultural partner to the festival, with many talks and events taking place at our sites.
Festival Hub
Blackwell Hall at the Weston Library is the festival hub for this year’s Oxford Literary Festival. Find out what's on, visit Blackwell's festival bookshop, explore our free exhibitions, and relax with a coffee and a snack in our café.
We'll be extending our opening hours from 21 – 29 March. Blackwell Hall, our exhibitions and the café will be open:
Monday – Saturday: 9am – 6pm
Sunday: 9am – 4pm
The festival information desk will be situated opposite you as you enter Blackwell Hall. Please note: there will be no box office in Blackwell Hall this year; tickets must be purchased online.
Café, toilets and shop
The Weston Library café serves a delicious selection of hot and cold drinks, freshly-made soups, salads, sandwiches, hot dishes, cakes and pastries. Toilets are located next to the café.
Oxford Literary Festival ticket holders can get 10% off in-store at the Bodleian Libraries gift shops – show your ticket to claim your discount. (Exclusions apply, not to be used in conjunction with any other offers. Ask in-store for details.)
Selected highlights
Pets & their People
Saturday 21 March, 10.00 – 11.00 | Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
Bestselling natural historian and curator of the Bodleian Libraries' exhibition Pets & their People Charles Foster mixes psychology, science and cultural history to explore the fascinating relationship between humans and pets.
Information and tickets
Novel Crime Scenes: Twenty Deadly Fictional Landscapes
Wednesday 25 March, 10.00 – 11.00 | Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
Writer and journalist Christina Hardyment explores the landscapes of 20 crime novels and explains what the settings meant to authors such as Agatha Christie, John Buchan and Colin Dexter. This talk is based on Novel Crime Scenes: Twenty Deadly Fictional Landscapes, published by Bodleian Library Publishing.
Information and tickets
Tradecraft: Writers on John le Carré
Wednesday 25 March, 14.00 – 15.00 | Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre, Weston Library
Close friend of the writer John le Carré Professor Federico Varese and Le Carré’s son, Nick Harkaway, introduce a new collection of essays that provide insights into the novelist’s working methods. The book coincides with the Bodleian Libraries' exhibition featuring archive items that provide insights into Le Carré’s working methods. The exhibition runs until April 6.
Information and tickets
The Bodley Lecture and Award of the Bodley Medal: Working Together on Children’s Classics
Thursday 26 March, 18.00 – 19.00 | Sheldonian Theatre
Author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler discuss their longstanding collaboration on children’s classics such as The Gruffalo in conversation with Bodley’s Librarian Richard Ovenden and receive the Bodley Medal for outstanding contribution to children’s books.
Information and tickets
