Hay fever
Let yourself be seduced by the best book festival in the world
Both the middle of nowhere and the centre of the universe, take a trip to Hay-on-Wye when the star-studded book festival comes to town
SO HIDDEN AWAY and off the beaten track is Hayon-Wye that it can’t even claim a proper town hall. Yet every summer this quaint town in Wales becomes a mecca for the best writers in the world. Book fans flock to this remote hillside venue to hear readings from a diverse collection of literary luminaries that in the past have included PD James, Iain Banks and Margaret Atwood.
More than 130,000 people pack a raincoat and wellies to visit the annual Festival of Literature & Arts (to give it its proper name), situated on a green field site next to the Brecon Beacons. For 10 days, they and the residents of Hay are as likely to rub shoulders with Goldie Hawn or Sir Bob Geldof as the local farmer packing his sheep off to market. Bill Clinton famously described the Hay Festival as “the Woodstock of the mind” when he visited in 2001. The former President courted controversy by commanding a £100,000 fee, ironically to give a talk on resolving conflicts and diplomacy for the BBC Wales World Lecture. Clinton’s visit sparked a major security operation after he decided to stage a walkabout of the town and meet residents. Later he put some of his money back on the table to play an all-night poker session with fellow guests.
Hay has around 40 bookshops
The festival is also a rare chance for the stars of cinema, music, politics and comedy to mingle with the leading lights of literature. Where else would you find actress Gillian Anderson, politician FW De Klerk and author Norman Mailer all under one canvas roof? Around the narrow, twisting streets, book lovers take time off from the 350 organised talks and lectures to visit some of the town’s 40 second-hand bookshops and soak up the atmosphere.
So how did this remote hillside town on the road to nowhere become internationally famous? Hay may not be as big as Edinburgh International Book Festival or have the grand venues of Cheltenham Festival of Literature, but its unique setting and varied guest list makes it a must-see for those involved with the written word.
The origins of the festival date back to 1988 when Cambridge graduate and actor Peter Florence decided to set up a literary festival in his distant home town, Hay-on-Wye. After touring the world and performing at festivals for the British Council, the idea of an event on home turf sounded appealing. He teamed up with his late father Norman, who worked for the Arts Council, and was immediately confronted with the problem of funding a series of talks and acts nobody knew anything about. Good fortune was to play a hand, however, when Peter won a “substantial” sum of money in a game of poker.
Arthur Miller was a veteran
of Hay
“It set us on our way and we booked the biggest venue in Hay for three days in 1988, the British Legion Hall. It has a bar and a stage and seemed perfect,” he recalls. Using contacts in the entertainment business, Peter managed to sign up a fledging comic called Eddie Izzard, as well as comedienne Jenny Eclair and Welsh opera singer Bryn Terfel. “We sold 2,000 tickets for the entire festival. Now we have 38 stages and a big name will easily pull in the same number for just one event.”
The inaugural festival had been a success, but for the second year, Peter hit the jackpot when a friend put him in touch with the agent of the American playwright Arthur Miller, author of Death of a Salesman, who had famously been married to Marilyn Monroe. “I dialled up and somehow was put straight through to Miller himself.
Take your pick: the choice is huge
I asked him if he would like to come to a literary festival in a small Welsh town called Hay-on-Wye. He said: ‘Is that some kind of a sandwich?’ Incredibly, though, he agreed to do it. Once you have Arthur Miller booked for your event it’s hard for any author or celebrity not to take you seriously.”
PETER’S DETERMINATION TO put Hay on the literary map saw him twisting arms and pulling in favours. The festival started to expand, with a music programme attracting stars such as Sir Paul McCartney, Van Morrison and Debbie Harry. Soon the tables started to turn as agents began phoning up the organisers to try and book a slot. Among the big names was actor Patrick Stewart, who spent hours browsing around the bookshops, eventually buying a first edition of Waiting For Godot. Diana Rigg took time off to look for books on fly-fishing and Jeffrey Archer refused to sign a paperback copy of one of his own books! Northern Ireland politician David Trimble had a strong interest in security.
Even the streets are full of books
This year is no exception with a dazzling list of writers making Hay. Novelists Edna O’Brien, Martin Amis and Michael Morpurgo are joined by Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka, plus Neal Purvis and Rob Wade, who penned the James Bond movie Die Another Day. Politicians are often first on the list to book a slot at the lectern. This year, former Prime Minister John Major will almost certainly be joined by Tony Blair’s successor, as both Gordon Brown and David Cameron are confirmed. Mark Damazer, the Controller of BBC Radio 4 is likely to face some difficult questions, as is General Sir Mike Jackson, former Chief of the General Staff following the Iraq War. The varied musical interludes will again be provided by Bryn Terfel, Senegalese singer Baaba Maal and the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir from just down the valley.
Bill Clinton has given a
lecture at Hay
PETER INSISTS THAT you don’t have to be a heavyweight reader to enjoy some of the attractions. The event is now in its 20th year, and has attracted actress Cate Blanchett, comedian Ronnie Corbett and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough – proving you don’t have to be a bookworm to attend. “It’s certainly changed since 1988. Inviting famous people to talk or perform in a tent is a great leveller. There’s something wonderfully simple about it, whether you are a former President of the United States or a stand-up comedian. The real stars are the people who come here to listen. They are a mongrel mix, in the nicest possible sense. All kinds of characters turn up and the atmosphere is tremendous,” he says.
Enjoy the view at Hay BluffThe changes to the festival have gone beyond higher ticket prices and thousands more people. The event brings in £3m to the local economy and shopkeepers do a roaring trade. “Lauren Bacall is sorely missed for being one of the greatest antique buyers the town has ever known,” said Peter. “There is also a great tale of the late Laurie Lee collecting so many books here that he had to buy a van off the store owner just to get his purchases back home to Gloucestershire.” Likewise, the owners of every coffee shop, ice cream parlour and restaurant are determined not to miss out. Signs, posters and bunting cover the streets, but finding a lunchtime sandwich can still involve a queue. A packed lunch and flask of tea will save you time and money.
Don’t say you weren’t
warned
While the Green Room is awash with champagne and flowers for celebrities, the audience has to battle with muddy fields and a shuttle bus to the festival site. Adding music and cinema screenings has attracted a more diverse crowd, with a livelier atmosphere in the pubs at night. Some might say the event has outgrown itself, but it’s hard not to enjoy the picture postcard setting and find something of interest in the huge programme. The New York Times described the event as “a cross between a university degree ceremony and a country wedding” – a slightly highbrow Glastonbury Festival, where the average age is 35 and people buy books instead of drugs. Residents haven’t missed the opportunity to become involved in the money-spinning event, either. Many rent out their homes to guests or set up garden campsites.
The prize-winning author Zadie
Smith
The festival’s ability to attract likeminded folk has injected more than a scent of romance into the proceedings. Organisers know of 27 couples who have tied the knot after meeting among the bookshelves or under canvas. But just finding the tiny town on the Welsh borders can prove a headache for literary types who are more used to attending events in metropolitan venues. They have little choice but to make the long journey by car. The roads can often be flooded and it’s easy to lose your way in the narrow lanes. However, as anyone who’s visited the festival will tell you, it’s often the unplanned moments that are most memorable. Listening to a steel band playing a big top tent in a Welsh field might sound odd enough – but when a thunderstorm strikes, anything can happen.
Visitors to that particular show didn’t let the river of water and sheet music flowing through the tent halt proceedings. Many climbed on their seats, dancing in the mud or simply helped the band move to slightly higher ground as the music played on…
INSIDER’S HAY
THE BEST PLACES TO EAT, SLEEP AND BE MERRY
■ Staying in Hay is tricky during the festival since organisers block-book many of the best venues, leaving festival-goers with no choice but to stay outside the town or camp. Among the more unusual places to try in town are the Baskerville Hall Hotel, where Arthur Conan Doyle is reputed to have based his book. (www.baskervillehall.co.uk; +44 (0)1497 820033)
■ Lower House is a stunning bed and breakfast, with crisp white linen, log fires and seven acres of riverside garden. (www.lowerhouse.gardenhay.co.uk; +44 (0)1497 820773)
The Old Post Office at Llanigon is another wonderfully quirky guest house full of paintings and books. (www.oldpost-office.co.uk; +44 (0)1497 820008)
■ Good pubs in Hay include The Old Black Lion (www..oldblacklion.co.uk; +44
(0)1497 820841) with an excellent restaurant, and The Three Tuns (www.three-tuns.com) due to re-open in June. The Rhydspence Inn (www.rhydspence-inn.co.uk; +44 (0)1497 831262) at Whitney-on-Wye is worth the drive.
■ For a meal to remember, try the Felin Fach Griffin gastropub at Felin Fach near Brecon. This inn and restaurant is run by hip young owners, who have created a haven of good taste. (www..eatdrinksleep.ltd.uk; +44 (0)1874 620120)
■ During the other 50 weeks of the year when Hay fever has subsided, the town is a popular base for walkers and canoeists. Log on to www.hay-on-wye.co.uk for the complete list of leisure activities.
A LOOK AT BOOKS
The Hay Festival runs from 24 May to 3 June in Powys, Wales. To book tickets, contact the box office on +44
(0)870 990 1299 (from the UK) or +44 (0)1497 822 620 (from overseas). You can also visit www..hayfestival.com/ wales for tickets and the latest info.
