I’ve just realised that Rome’s literary festival, the Festival delle Letterature, has begun. This year, the festival runs from 18 May to 21 June. It’s taking place in the Basilica of Maxentius in the Forum, and consists of roughly bi-weekly events in which a couple of writers present something they’ve written especially for the festival.

The readings are done in both the author’s native language and Italian, and are presented either by Italian actors or with the accompaniment of video artwork. Authors contributing this year include the controversial Booker winner John Banville (29 May), Isabel Allende (been and gone on 18 May) and Vikram Chandra on 21 June.

For more information on the Festival, see the festival website here or our page on the festival here.