Hay Festival 2017

The Hay Festival, which started yesterday, turns 30 this year and once again will be bringing writers and readers together to share stories and ideas in events that inspire, examine and entertain.

The festival is known for attracting speakers from a wide range of backgrounds.  This year is no exception with the likes of US Senator Bernie Sanders and actor and writer Stephen Fry in attendance.

For this week’s post, we’d like to share a small selection of titles by authors attending this year’s festival.

The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson – Jeanette Winterson’s cover version of The Winter’s Tale vibrates with echoes of Shakespeare's original and tells a story of hearts broken and hearts healed, a story of revenge and forgiveness, a story that shows that whatever is lost shall be found.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman- Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his own fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a dazzling rendition of the great northern tales that carry us from the beginning of everything to Ragnarök and the twilight of the gods.

Who I Am by Charlotte Rampling-  Having previously shied away from autobiographies Charlotte Rampling has written Who I Am (first published in French) a lyrical, and intimate self-portrait via reminiscences. With photographs from her personal archive, Rampling recounts her childhood as the daughter of an army officer, and the memories and passions that would inspire her life and later work as an actress.

Holding by Graham Norton- Set in a remote Irish village, this is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss. Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad, Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human.

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout explores the whole range of human emotion through the intimate dramas of people struggling to understand themselves and others. Reverberating with the deep bonds of family, and the hope that comes with reconciliation, Anything Is Possible again underscores Elizabeth Strout's place as one of America's most respected and cherished authors.

House of Names by Colm Tóibín - Colm Tóibín is widely considered one of Ireland’s greatest writers. Taking inspiration from the Greek myths, House of Names weaves the stories that make up one family’s downfall and is a tale of intense longing and shocking betrayal.

Mae Gŵyl y Gelli, a gychwynnodd ddoe, yn dathlu 30 eleni ac unwaith eto, bydd yr ŵyl yn denu awduron a darllenwyr at ei gilydd i rannu straeon a syniadau mewn digwyddiadau sy'n ysbrydoli, archwilio a diddanu.

Mae'r ŵyl yn enwog am ddenu siaradwyr o amrywiaeth eang o gefndiroedd. Nid yw eleni yn eithriad, gyda'r Seneddwr Bernie Sanders o'r Unol Daleithiau a'r actor ac awdur enwog Stephen Fry yn mynychu'r digwyddiad.

Yr wythnos hon, hoffem rannu detholiad bychan o deitlau gan awduron sy'n mynychu'r ŵyl eleni.

The Gap of Time gan Jeanette Winterson – Mae fersiwn Jeanette Winterson o The Winter's Tale yn atseinio testun gwreiddiol Shakespeare ac yn adrodd stori o dorri calonnau a'u trwsio, stori o ddial a maddeuant, stori sy'n dangos bod modd dod o hyd i beth bynnag sy'n mynd ar goll.

Norse Mythology gan Neil Gaiman- Ysbrydolwyd Neil Gaiman ers tro gan fytholeg hynafol wrth greu byd rhyfeddol yn ei ffuglen ei hun. Nawr mae'n troi ei sylw yn ôl at y ffynhonnell, gan gyflwyno datganiad disglair o chwedlau mawrion y gogledd sy'n ein cludo o ddechrau popeth i Ragnarok a chyfnos y duwiau.

Who I Am gan Charlotte Rampling-  Wedi ymwrthod yn flaenorol â hunangofiannau, mae Charlotte Rampling wedi ysgrifennu Who I Am (a gyhoeddwyd gyntaf yn Ffrangeg), sef hunanbortread telynegol, personol drwy gyfres o atgofion. Gyda ffotograffau o'i harchif bersonol, mae Rampling yn adrodd ei phlentyndod fel merch i swyddog y fyddin, a'r atgofion a chariad a fyddai'n ysbrydoli ei bywyd a'i gwaith yn ddiweddarach fel actores.

Holding gan Graham Norton- Wedi'i leoli mewn pentref anghysbell yn Iwerddon, dyma stori serch grefftus a deallus o gariad, cyfrinachau a cholled. Yn gomedi tywyll, teimladwy sydd ar adegau yn hynod o drist, mae Graham Norton yn defnyddio'i ffraethineb milain i anadlu bywyd i mewn i lu o gymeriadau hoffus, ac archwilio - gyda gonestrwydd tanbaid - y cymhlethdodau a'r gwrthddywediadau sy'n ein gwneud yn ddynol.

Anything Is Possible gan Elizabeth Strout - mae’n archwilio’r ystod gyfan o emosiwn dynol drwy ddramâu personol y bobl hynny sy’n brwydro i ddeall eu hunain ac eraill. Gan adleisio bondiau dwfn teuluoedd, a'r gobaith a ddaw gyda chymodi, mae Anything is Possible unwaith eto yn tanlinellu lle Elizabeth Strout fel un o awduron mwyaf annwyl ac uchel ei pharch yn America.

House of Names gan Colm Tóibín - Mae Colm Tóibín yn cael ei ystyried yn eang yn un o lenorion mwyaf Iwerddon. Gan gymryd ysbrydoliaeth o'r chwedlau Groegaidd, mae House of Names yn plethu straeon sy'n rhan o gwymp un teulu ac mae'n stori o hiraeth dwys a brad arswydus.