Chapter & Verse

Dive into our Franschhoek Literary Festival guide for beginners, with survival tips and back story from those in the know.

- Nancy Richards

“Don’t book sessions back to back – you can’t absorb too much and honestly you need time to process all the information.” A surprising bit of advice from Shelagh Foster, director of the Franschhoek Literary Festival, who admits it’s probably counter-productive coming from her. “Truth is,” she says, “I just want everyone’s experience to be the best.”

And whatever else it may be, Franschhoek is one full-on literary experience. Founded in 2007, it’s arguably the mother of literary festivals in South Africa, and literati, readers and writers come from far and wide, some diligently attending every year since inception. But there’s always a first time, and if it’s yours here’s what you need to know…

Chapter 1 – How did it start?

“I’ll tell you exactly how it started,” says Jenny Hobbs, member of the founding team and former director of the festival. “Writer Christopher Hope and I were at a Sunday Times Literary Awards dinner in 2006, and I’d just interviewed him. As we were walking out, he said, ‘I’m looking for a place to start an English-speaking literary festival in South Africa. Any ideas?’ I said that I lived in Franschhoek and would ask about it. I guess the rest is history.

“We timed it for the third week in May, so we could keep guest houses open and jobs going after the tourist season. I’d been in journalism and publishing all my life, so I told all my friends about it. It was a great success, and publishers wanted to get involved. I think we sold about 1 300 tickets that first year – last year it was around 13 000. We never imagined it would get so big.”

Chapter 2 – Who talks?