Live in the Archive: The Haunting of Daphne du Maurier (In person)
Live in the Archive is a new collaboration between The London Library and Curtis Brown Heritage to celebrate some of the greatest literary stars in our combined history, former Library members and agency clients. And, as Halloween draws in, where better to begin than with one of the brightest of those stars, who wrote some of the darkest of tales.
Daphne du Maurier’s extraordinary body of fiction abounds with ghosts and psychological hauntings, sinister spaces and menacing landscapes, secrets, danger, the uncanny and the unexpected, all wielded to devastating narrative effect. An illustrious panel of du Maurier fans and writers of similarly spooky fiction, authors Jessie Burton, Camilla Grudova and Andrew Michael Hurley, join us to delve into the dark heart of her literary world. In conversation with Bidisha, they’ll discuss fictional hauntings, gothic sensibility, du Maurier’s influence on their own storytelling and celebrate the work and legacy of this literary icon.
Jessie Burton is the multi-million best-selling author of four novels: The Miniaturist, The Muse, The Confession and The House of Fortune – all instant Sunday Timesbestsellers. The Miniaturist was the National Book Awards Book of the Year, and Waterstones Book of the Year 2014 and in 2017 it was adapted as a BBC One miniseries. Her books for young readers include The Restless Girls and Medusa and as a non-fiction writer she has written essays and reviews for The New York Times, Harpers Bazaar UK, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Elle, Red, Grazia, The Independentand The Spectator.
Camilla Grudova is Canadian writer who lives in Edinburgh. She has published two short story collections, The Doll's Alphabet and The Coiled Serpent and a novel, Children of Paradise, a creepy tale set in a crumbling cinema. Her fiction has appeared in The White Review and Granta. She holds a degree in Art History and German from McGill University, Montreal. She was named as one of Granta’s Best British Novelists 2023.
Andrew Michael Hurley lives in Lancashire with his family. His first novel, The Loney won the Costa Best First Novel Award and the Book of the Year 2015 at the British Book Awards. Devil's Day, his second novel, was picked as a Book of the Year in five newspapers and won the Encore Award. His 2019 novel Starve Acre was published in 2019 and has been adapted for the screen by director Daniel Kokotajlo for cinema release this autumn. And Barrowbeck, his new book, will be published October 2024.
Bidisha is a broadcaster, critic, journalist and lens-based artist. Currently a critic and columnist for The Observer and The Guardian, she also presents and commentates for BBC TV and radio, ITN, CNN, Channel 5 and Sky News. Her fifth book, Asylum and Exile: Hidden Voices of London, is based on her outreach work in UK prisons, refugee charities and detention centres, and her most recent publication is the essay The Future of Serious Art. Her first short film, An Impossible Poison (2017) has been highly acclaimed, widely screened and selected for multiple international film festivals. Her latest film series, Aurora, ran from 2020-2023 and stars Alessia Patregnani.
Curtis Brown Heritage represents the literary estates of many of the best writers of the 20th century, from national treasures such as A. A. Milne, Gerald Durrell, C.L.R. James and Douglas Adams to literary greats such as Iris Murdoch, Elizabeth Bowen, Fay Weldon and Iain M. Banks. Part of the Curtis Brown Group, it celebrated 125 years of the agency in 2024.
Books by Daphne du Maurier and all the speakers will be available to buy at the event and online from our partner bookshop Hatchards.
NB This event will take place in person at The London Library. Doors (and the bar) will open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Please see our Event Access Guidelines before you arrive.
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