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An Evening with Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier

Art &
Culture

A captivating evening of literature and historical storytelling

Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier have defined the genre of historical fiction for decades. Both renowned for bringing to life women’s stories from the past and making them relevant to today’s reader, between them they’ve produced a multitude of global bestsellers including The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with a Pearl Earring.

In September 2024 they joined Reeta Chakrabarti on the Intelligence Squared stage to transport us through time and place. They explored the art of weaving history into compelling narratives, delving into the research that underpins their work and the challenges of crafting authentic voices from the past for those who have had no voice.

This was one of the first events at which Tracy discussed her spellbinding new novel The Glassmaker, a richly-drawn tale of artisan craftsmanship, female perseverance, and the beauty of Venice. Philippa talked about her ground-breaking study, Normal Woman, which takes women out of the footnotes and reassembles the history of women in England showing how their lives have changed over 900 years from 1066 to the present.

Praise for The Glassmaker

‘A triumph… a brilliant idea carried out with confidence and brio and a deep love of an extraordinary city. The ingenuity of the time-skipping is beyond admiration’ Philip Pullman

Speakers for the motion

  • Philippa Gregory

    Bestselling novelist and author of 'The Other Boleyn Girl'

Against the motion

  • Tracy Chevalier

    Historical novelist

Chair

  • Reeta Chakrabarti

    Journalist and presenter for BBC News

Speakers are subject to change.

Speakers

Speaker

Philippa Gregory

Bestselling novelist and author of 'The Other Boleyn Girl'

One of the world's foremost historical novelists. She is the bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl and The White Queen. She is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff and has an honorary research fellow at Birkbeck University of London. Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016 was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers' Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Neilsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output.
Speaker

Tracy Chevalier

Historical novelist

American historical novelist. She is the author of eleven novels, including A Single Thread, Remarkable Creatures and Girl with a Pearl Earring, an international bestseller that has sold over five million copies and been made into a film, a play and an opera.
Host

Reeta Chakrabarti

Journalist and presenter for BBC News

Journalist and presenter for BBC News. She regularly presents the One, Six, and Ten O’Clock News on BBC1, and also works on the rolling News Channel. She combines being a studio anchor with reporting from home and abroad. She has previously been a judge for the 2021 David Cohen Prize for Literature; she was the chair of the 2021 Costa Book of the Year; and in 2023 chair of the BBC National Short Story Award. Her debut novel, Finding Belle will be published next spring.