OxTalks will soon move to the new Halo platform and will become 'Oxford Events.' There will be a need for an OxTalks freeze. This was previously planned for Friday 14th November – a new date will be shared as soon as it is available (full details will be available on the Staff Gateway).
In the meantime, the OxTalks site will remain active and events will continue to be published.
If staff have any questions about the Oxford Events launch, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
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.
