The Middlebrow Pleasures of Literary Festivals

Abstract

In 1951, when Noel Coward penned his mocking ode to the Festival of Britain, Europe was in the throes of a post-war boom in cultural festivals. Coward’s satire points to the precarious status of these events: despite their prominence, they invited ridicule both for their grand cultural claims and their commercial character. As Coward writes, ‘We’ve never been/exactly keen/On showing off or swank/But as they say/That gay display/means money in the bank’ (2002, 343). Like other middlebrow institutions, cultural festivals pursue both artistic and commercial goals and this tension creates confusion about their purpose: in Coward’s phrase, ‘Don’t give anyone time to ask/What the Hell it’s about’ (2002, 345). Literary festivals, a subset of cultural festivals, have existed since 1949, exploding in popularity in recent decades. There are well over 300 literary festivals worldwide, with locations ranging from major international capitals to regional towns. The most established festivals are held in cities from Commonwealth countries such as Toronto, Edinburgh, Adelaide and Melbourne. The twenty-first century has seen the emergence of large literary festivals in America, including the Boston Book Festival and the National Book Festival, and across the globe, from the Jaipur Literature Festival to the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

Don’t make fun of the Festival

don’t make fun of the fair

Noel Coward.