BOS members are exclusively invited to this event, organised by Hay Festival.
Register here
In 1955 the winds of change were beginning to blow across the sultanate of Oman, a hitherto truly medieval state. Rumours of subversion mingled with the unsettling smell of oil to propel the Sultan on a royal progress across the desert hinterland, from his southern capital of Salala to the northern capital of Muscat. Sultan in Oman follows this historic journey – the first crossing of the Omani desert by motorcar.
Join our all-star Book Club panel led by travel writer Sara Wheeler as they revisit the classic novel and answer all your burning questions.
ONE FINE Arabian morning in the middle of December 1955, I walked into the palace of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, on the shore of the Indian Ocean in Dhufar.
Celebrating 100 years since the birth of Wales’ acclaimed writer Jan Morris, this month’s Book Club pick has been selected by guest curator Sara Wheeler, author of the upcoming biography, Jan Morris: A Life.
In 1955 the winds of change were beginning to blow across the sultanate of Oman, a hitherto truly medieval state. Rumours of subversion mingled with the unsettling smell of oil to propel the Sultan on a royal progress across the desert hinterland, from his southern capital of Salala to the northern capital of Muscat.
Sultan in Oman follows this historic journey – the first crossing of the Omani desert by motorcar.
Read it? Loved it? Let us know what you think over on our new Instagram page, @hayfestivalbookclub.
Further reading
A guide to the books of Jan Morris, a travel writer who tried to understand the meaning of everywhere, National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/guide-to-the-books-jan-morris-travel-writer
Remembering Jan Morris, the writer and trans pioneer who brought magic to the page, Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jan-morris-dead-obituary-writer-trans-pioneer-b1759362.html
About the authors
Jan Morris (1926–2020) has been dubbed by Alistair Cooke as the "Flaubert of the jet age" and "perhaps the best descriptive writer of our time" by Rebecca West. She has written some forty books including a major work of British Imperial History (the Pax Britannica trilogy), studies of Wales, Spain, Venice, Oxford, Manhattan, Sydney and Trieste, two autobiographical works, two capricious biographies, five volumes of collected travel essays, a novel and a short book about her own house in Wales. However she defines them all as really being the "ego-biographies" of a wandering Welsh European.
ABOUT HAY FESTIVAL BOOK CLUB
Timeless titles to offer you a break from the day to day. Can't decide what to read next? Follow your curiosity and join Hay Festival on a journey to imagine the world anew through great literature. Unconstrained by genre or form these are our monthly picks of great books worth reading (or re-reading) right now.
Throughout the month, we'll share interesting links and articles relating to our selection on Instagram channel (@hayfestivalbookclub) and invite you all to get involved with your questions and comments. Each selection will also be marked with a free online event.
If you'd like to recommend a book for consideration, get in touch via bookclub@hayfestival.org.
Happy reading!