For one night only in New Zealand, join us for a celebration of Irish storytelling with Booker Prize nominated writer Niall Williams (Ireland). Capturing the magic of everyday life in his beautifully observed novels, Williams’ 1997 bestseller Four Letters of Love is now a major film starring Pierce Brosnan and Helena Bonham Carter. Illuminating the extraordinary within the ordinary, his 2019 novel This Is Happiness (“one of my very favourite books.” – Ann Patchett) chronicles the arrival of electricity in the small Irish village of Faha in 1958. Williams’ latest novel, Time of the Child is “a slow-burning, finely crafted novel about second chances, humanity and familial love” (The Observer). Chaired by Kate de Goldi.
Find Niall’s books at UBS – University of Canterbury Bookshop.
Discover more about Niall:
Niall Williams website
Niall Williams: ‘When I first read Chekhov, I thought: “He’s not so great”‘ in The Guardian
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Next festival: 1 - 6 September 2026
Watch out for events through the year!