From June 29th to July 12th, a two-week festival of literature, ideas, creative writing and performance, is taking place across Southbank Centre.
There are two key strands this year: Metropolitan Lines celebrates London as muse with readings and performances inspired by our city; and Saying the Unsayable examines issues surrounding freedom of expression and the boundaries of offence.
The festival features international and prize-winning authors, historians, poets, performers and artists, children’s events, specially commissioned work, debate and discussion, interactive and improvised writing and performance.
On Saturday 30th, there will be also the laregest ever UK bookcrossing event: 1,000 books provided by Penguin Books are released across Southbank Centre. Works by Samuel Pepys, William Blake, George Orwell, Will Self, Zadie Smith, Iain Sinclair and Alain de Botton are just some of the books about London or by London writers you could find.