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In this talk, Lucy Hughes-Hallett — author of The Pike: Gabriele d’Annunzio and The Scapegoat: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham — will discuss the narrative strategies that shape her books in conversation with Hermione Lee. She will reflect on how she adapts her approach to different sources, how shifts in point of view can open or complicate a subject, and how to balance chronology with interiority. She will also consider the challenge of distinguishing legend from fact in life-writing, drawing on the figures she has brought to life — from Cleopatra and Gabriele d’Annunzio to her most recent subject, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham: the beautiful young favourite of James I who rose to extraordinary power before his assassination at thirty-six.
The event will be followed by a wine reception and book signing.
