For the Love of Great Writing: The TLS at 125
Authors Mary Beard, Paul Muldoon, Gwendoline Riley and Ben Markovits discuss: how do we define great literature today, and why is criticism still essential?
Join the world-renowned writer, academic, broadcaster and TLS Classics editor Mary Beard for a wide-ranging discussion of the state of contemporary literature.
Sharing the stage with her are Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon and the acclaimed novelists Gwendoline Riley and Ben Markovits.
The evening marks 125 years of the Times Literary Supplement as an arena for literary and cultural debate.
The panel considers everything from judgements of disruptive masterworks, such as the TLS’s hostile review of The Waste Land in 1922, to the king-making decisions of literary prize panels, the rise of AI and the future of writing.
Need to know
Copies of Life in Every Word: The TLS Guide to Great Writing, featuring essays by Mary Beard, Alan Hollinghurst and other TLS writers and editors, are available to purchase as an optional add-on for £10.50 (RRP £12.99) when you buy a ticket to the event.
About the speakers
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Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
30 Jan 2027, 8pm
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1 hour and 15 minutes (approx)
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