Hanif Kureishi and Kevin Barry to take part in the Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival

Hanif Kureishi, Deborah Levy and Kevin Barry will take part in the Southbank Centre’s 2024 London Literature Festival, which has been co-curated with British rapper Ghetts.

The 17th edition of the London Literature Festival will take place from Wednesday 23rd October to Sunday 3rd November.

British playwright and author Kureishi will unveil his new memoir, Shattered (Hamish Hamilton), on 31st October, with an exclusive launch event and accompanying free live-stream. Meanwhile, on the 20th anniversary of her historical-fantasy novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Bloomsbury Paperbacks), the novelist Susanna Clarke will introduce audiences to The Wood at Midwinter (Bloomsbury Publishing) on 26th October.

Barry will narrate a staged, abridged reading of his novel The Heart in Winter (Canongate Books) on 2nd November, accompanied by live theatrical and musical performances. Moreover, the Forward Prize-winning American poet Danez Smith will headline a special edition of the music and poetry event "Out-Spoken" on 24th October, which will be hosted by the T S Eliot Prize-winner, Joelle Taylor. Smith will also return to the Southbank Centre to present a new collection, Bluff (Chatto & Windus), on 26th October.

This year, the annual New Statesman and Goldsmith Prize Lecture will be given on 24th October by Levy, who will speak on the importance of novels. On 26th October, Channel 4 News international editor Lindsey Hilsum will talk about her favourite poems and her experiences covering conflicts. On the same day, Lemn Sissay OBE will host "NPL Presents: The People’s Favourite Poets", which will see the culmination of the National Poetry Library’s 70th birthday celebrations. This event will bring together new poets who were invited to create 70-word poems with members of the New Poets Collective for an evening of performance.

The library’s annual Poetry Day on 26th October will take over the Queen Elizabeth Hall, offering workshops, live performances and a chance to delve into the poetry archives.

Also on the 26th, the festival will partner with Creative Future to bring back the Creative Future Writers’ Award Showcase, a competition for debut writers from underrepresented backgrounds. A chance to quiz authors, publishers and literary professionals on insider knowledge will also be offered by a free Creative Future Writers’ Day the following day, which will see a host of industry talks and panel events for people at every stage of their writing career.

Ted Hodgkinson, head of literature and spoken word at the Southbank Centre, said: “I’m overjoyed that award-winning rapper and songwriter Ghetts will be headlining London Literature Festival this year with a series of specially curated events that will draw us into his distinctive artistic sensibility, delving into the deep connections between the city’s music and spoken word scenes.

"From spotlighting the cultural communities on our doorstep, to an incredible array of world-renowned voices, the festival celebrates the power of poetry, plurality and dialogue to spark new thinking."

Ghetts will host an evening of poetry and music on 26th October, offering performances and discussion on the links between poetry and rap. A range of other events are scheduled to take place during the festival, with more to be announced later in the summer.

Tickets will go on sale on Thursday 11th July for Southbank Centre Members, and for the general public on Friday 12th July.