Cliveden Literary Festival has revealed its star-studded lineup for this year’s event (11 to 12 October), with tickets now on sale to the public.
Set against the historic backdrop of Cliveden House in Berkshire, the festival will once again bring together some of today’s most influential voices across culture, politics and history. Highlights include:
- Michael Gove and Sarah Vine in conversation with Andrew Roberts about their marriage and divorce under the political spotlight.
- Salman Rushdie and Rachel Eliza Griffiths on their creative partnership.
- Actor Richard E. Grant with Georgia Beaufort on the highs and lows of Hollywood and his personal journey.
- Philosopher Alain de Botton on love, heartbreak and sorrow.
- Jung Chang (Wild Swans) and Peter Frankopan (The Silk Roads) with Geordie Greig exploring the past, present and future of China.
Panels will tackle some of the most compelling issues of 2025 — from intrigue in the White House and a divided America to 21st-century espionage.
Literary discussions will explore the enduring appeal of Jane Austen and the art of crime writing, both real and fictional. British politics will be put under the microscope in Cliveden’s very own Question Time, hosted by Alex Burghart and Emily Maitlis.
The weekend will also feature a dazzling roster of speakers, including Elif Shafak, Marlon James, Anthony Horowitz, William Boyd, Joanna Coles, Peter Godwin, Helen Castor, Patrick Marber, Tristram Hunt, Merve Emre, Jake Sullivan, Bari Weiss, Andrew Davies, Tina Brown, James Marriott, Charles Moore, Jonathan Bate, David McCloskey, Dambisa Moyo, Jonathan Freedland, and many more.
The festival’s founders — Catherine Ostler, Natalie Livingstone, Simon Sebag Montefiore and Andrew Roberts — will also take part.
Now in its eighth year, Cliveden Literary Festival is celebrated as a forum for lively debate, thought-provoking ideas, and cultural exchange in one of Britain’s most beautiful settings.
Last year, Elif Shafak called it “a cultural space we leave feeling much more nurtured, nourished and inspired,” while Rachel Eliza Griffiths described Cliveden as “a mirror of the beauty that I find in books.”
A sell-out every year, the festival continues Cliveden House’s long tradition as a literary salon, once frequented by figures such as Alexander Pope, Alfred Lord Tennyson, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift and Sir Winston Churchill.
