Festival Diary

THE wonderful novelist Sebastian Faulks charmed his audience talking about his latest book, The Seventh Son.

During questions. a woman said: “I can’t believe you’re 70, what moisturiser do you use?”

Faulks impishly replied: “If you have a beard you don’t need a moisturiser” before adding mischievously to great laughter: “There’s a little tip for you.”

THE pioneering Averil Mansfield, who was the first British woman to be appointed a professor of surgery, was interrupted on her way to her talk at the town hall by a phone call.

Who was it from? Only Number 10 asking her if she could go in and see them.

Averil, whose book Life in Her Hands details her remarkable career, recalled as a teenager asking her parents for a medical book and was duly given one as a present.

But when she got to the section detailing male and female sexual organs she found that her father had glued the pages together.

“So when I came to see it in real life it was quite a shock,” she laughed.

THE only rainfall in the first four days of the festival coincided with former England cricket captain Mike Brearley starting his talk in the Phyllis Court Club marquee so rain did not stop play.

Martin Bayfield, all 6ft 10in of him, charmed his audience at the Kenton Theatre with great tales from his England rugby career.

He was interviewed by former Times rugby correspondent John Hopkins, who arrived straight from Rome where he had been covering the Ryder Cup.

This is the 17th literary festival in the town and it marked a return for an author from the very first festival.

Journalist Matthew Engel was the interviewer for Mike Brearley.

THE festival’s green room was at the splendid Riverside Pavilion at Phyllis Court Club, which proved a hit with authors as they sat on the terrace looking out over the river in early autumn.

Festival returnees were in abundance with Jonathan Coe, Simon Kernick, Gyles Brandreth, Susanna Beard and Cesca Major all happy to be back.

Michael Beloff KC insisted he and his wife would made their own way to Oxford by bus rather than use a taxi.

All went well until the Oxford bus failed to stop in Hart Street.

Stephen Mulhern proved an instant hit with his young fans by insisting they could all be pictured with him after his Max Magic event….dozens of delighted children queued up outside the marquee.

JR