World Book Night: Feminist fiction for free this weekend

In November 2009, acclaimed author Sarah Waters was a guest of the University at our annual Literary Leicester festival of the written word. Among other things, she spoke about her Victorian trilogy, Tipping the Velvet, Affinity and Fingersmith.

This Saturday (5 March 2011) the Students’ Union’s Feminists Society will be discussing the author and her work and will actually give away brand new free copies of Fingersmith, which was shortlisted for both the Booker and the Orange Prize.

It’s all part of World Book Night whereby people are given 48 copies of a book they’ve read and enjoyed (selected from a list of 25 classic and modern titles) and then have to give those copies to 48 people who they think will enjoy the book. All told there’s a million free books going begging this week.

The Feminists Soc event will be introduced by Elizabeth Howard-Laity, a Doctoral researcher in our School of English who is researching 'Revision and Religion in Contemporary Women's Fiction'. Another of the School's PhD researchers, Claire O’Callaghan, will lead the discussion on Fingersmith. Her thesis is actually on Sarah Waters’ work. including the way that the author engages with the subject of pornography. There will be readings, discussion, a little wine (courtesy of the School of English) and 96 people will go home with a free book. Yes, that's double the usual number - so this is your best chance of bagging a brilliant book!

The event takes place in the Ken Edwards Building, Lecture Theatre 3, starting at 6.00pm and entry is free.