Sarah Dunant

Acclaimed novelist of the Italian Renaissance, Sarah Dunant returns to the festival to discuss her epic new novel Blood & Beauty, a wonderful reimagining of the Borgia family saga, laced with power, corruption, sex and poison. It tells the story of Rodrigo Borgia, the ambitious Spaniard who clawed his way to the papacy, and his Machiavellian offspring, including Lucrezia, a refreshingly complicated femme fatale. Sarah is the author of the internationally bestselling novels The Birth of Venus, In the Company of the Courtesan and Sacred Hearts. She will discuss her historical fiction with Jerome de Groot, author of The Historical Novel and Consuming History. We will also be announcing the adult winners of our Postcards from the Past competition at this event.