HOPE IN THE DARK: UKRAINE

In late 2022, neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, palliative care doctor Rachel Clarke and the Guardian’s chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins arrived in Kyiv just as a deadly missile bombardment began. They had been in Ukraine teaching end-of-life care to doctors and medical students, and taking part in a Ukrainian book festival held in defiance of Russia’s invasion. In this special festival event, they talk about that experience and reflect on courage, culture, loss and hope in the midst of war – and on the vital importance of human connection.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Banqueting Room

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H10

Fiction

Tan Twan Eng

Internationally acclaimed novelist, Tan Twan Eng, comes to Bath for a special festival event. His first novel in a decade, The House of Doors, an exquisite, transporting tale of love, betrayal and morality in 1920s Penang, follows his Booker-longlisted debut, The Gift of Rain and Booker-shortlisted The Garden of Evening Mists, which went on to win the Walter Scott and the Man Asian Prize. He is a judge for the 2023 International Man Booker Prize – the first Malaysian author to be appointed to that role. He talks to Lennie Goodings about the ‘small human events and stories’ that shape his novels.

Date: Saturday 20 May

Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Guildhall Salon

Price: £5 – £15*

Event code: H11