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Zadie Smith, Patti Smith and Mustafa are among the star names expected to be interviewed by Dua Lipa, as the star reveals her performance at this year’s London Literature Festival. Southbank Centre.
The festival, which is in its 19th year, will run from 21 October to 1 November, with the successful Brit singer creating a program of events in collaboration with his book group Service95.
Lipa said curating the program was “a real pleasure”, adding that she wanted to bring together “some of the most interesting writers, poets and thinkers from around the world”, alongside well-known names.
Lipa will sit down and Zadie Smith on 24 October to discuss with him the first book of 2000, White Teeth, published when Smith was 24 years old. The two have to think about “learning to live with the artistic heritage they received at a young age”, and how the authors of this book can travel in Britain today.
The next night, he will ask Pat Smith about his memorial Bread of Angels, which chronicles Smith’s life from childhood, through her marriage to Fred “Sonic” Smith, and her return to music after his death.
The program will also feature an appearance from a Sudanese-Canadian poet and musician Mustafa, Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad discusses her memoir, I Choose My Beginning, and a conversation between Ta-Nehisi Coates and Tareq Baconi about Baconi’s new book about Palestine.
Other events include an interpretive fiction exhibition, a poetry and music night with Kae Tempest, and Censorship Live!, a collaboration with English PEN and an examination of the threat to freedom.
Lipa has established herself as a supporter of reading. He launched his book club in 2023 as an extension of his cultural platform Service95, which sees monthly selections and long-form interviews with authors including Margaret Atwood, George Saunders and Olga Tokarczuk. Last month, he opened a permanent list of 100 banned, banned and critical books inside the Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto, Portugal.
Mark Ball, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, said Lipa’s “deep interest in the world” made him the right curator for the centre’s 75th anniversary. “It’s a very special year and it’s a good steward to help us celebrate,” he added.
The literary festival also includes free family events and an international programme, one of the Southbank Centre’s efforts to reach a million people in the UK by 2026.
Last year, the festival was organized by Self Esteem, and past presenters include Ai Weiwei, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Tom Hanks and Yulia Navalnaya.
Tickets go on sale to Southbank Center members on 3 August, Service95 members on 4 August, and the general public on 5 August.
