Damian Barr, 33, is a writer, columnist, playwright and salonierre. He has co-written two plays for BBC Radio Four and his first book was published by Hodder. Get It Together made the quarterlife crisis the must-have modern malaise. He has been shortlisted for a British Press Award and written for The Times, Telegraph,Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Evening Standard, Esquire, Harpers, Arena, GQ and Granta. He made headlines as the world’s first ‘reader in residence’ travelling the world reading stories aloud to hotel guests in his PJs. He is creator and host of the hugely successful Shoreditch House Literary Salon whose guests include Diana Athill, David Nicholls, John Waters, Helen Fielding, Geoff Dyer and James Frey. He also runs www.readingweekend.co.uk. At home in Brighton Damian grooms his fancy chickens and tirelessly mixes Martinis in search of perfection. His memoir about growing up in Thatcher’s Britain, Maggie and Me, is to be published by Bloomsbury. |
Creativity and curiosity: do we make stuff up or find it out?
"The Battle of Ideas is a global treasure. Bringing together some of the world's leading thinkers for civil dialogue on an array of topics, the festival is a must-see for those deeply committed to the free exchange of ideas."
Fredrick C. Harris, professor of political science, Columbia University