David Kynaston and Alan Johnson | A Northern Wind
Sun 21 Apr 2024 | 10:00am - 11:00am
Making a long overdue visit to the festival, David Kynaston joins us to discuss the latest volume in his acclaimed Tales of a New Jerusalem series on twentieth century British history (1945-1979). The latest volume, A Northern Wind, vividly brings to life the period between 1962 and 1965. He’ll be joined by former Labour MP Alan Johnson, whose series of memoirs similarly stretch from the fifties to the late noughties. Expect an enthralling conversation about recording the past as well as an exploration of the period’s key events – the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Big Freeze, JFK’s assassination, and Churchill’s funeral – as well as the stories of everyday people living through this history.
Venue: TTP Stage (Cambridge Union)
Duration: 1 hour
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Author Biography
David Kynaston is a professional historian and author. He has written a four-volume history of the City of London as well as a history of the Bank of England. His continuing history of post-war Britain, ‘Tales of a New Jerusalem’, has so far comprised Austerity Britain, Family Britain, Modernity Britain and On the Cusp. His most recent three books have been Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket (with Stephen Fay); Engines of Privilege: Britain’s Private School Problem (with Francis Green); and Shots in the Dark: A Diary of Saturday Dreams and Strange Times.
Chair Biography
Alan Johnson’s childhood memoir This Boy was published in 2013. It won the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize, and the Orwell Prize, Britain’s top political writing award. His second volume of memoirs, Please Mr Postman (2014) won the National Book Club award for Best Biography. The final book in his memoir trilogy, The Long and Winding Road (2016), won the Parliamentary Book Award for Best Memoir. In My Life – A Music Memoir was published in 2018 and his highly acclaimed first novel, The Late Train to Gypsy Hill was published in 2021. The sequel One Of Our Ministers Is Missing followed up in 2022. Alan was a Labour MP for 20 years before retiring ahead of the 2017 general election. He served in five cabinet positions in the Governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown including Education Secretary, Health Secretary and Home Secretary. He and his wife Carolyn live in East Yorkshire.