Haunted Woods and Grimm Tales: Philip Pullman and Sam Leith

A special conversation to open the British Library’s Fairy Tales exhibition season

This event will take place on 27 March 2026 19:00

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Haunted Woods and Grimm Tales: Philip Pullman and Sam Leith
A special conversation to open the British Library’s Fairy Tales exhibition season

This event will take place on 27 March 2026 19:00

Philip Pullman is a master of magical worlds, and his own magnificent stories are loved and appreciated by people of all ages, just as the best fairy tales. He also adapted some of the classics in Grimm Tales for Young and Old. Philip is joined by Sam Leith, a writer whose The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading was one of the most admired books of last year, and host Julia Eccleshare.

Together they explore the power of stories – even the oldest and apparently simplest – to inspire entire generations. The best ones are indelible in our memories; reaching far beyond our childhoods, they are a window into our deepest hopes, joys and anxieties. They reveal our past – collective and individual, remembered and imagined – and invite us to dream up different futures.

This event is recommended for ages 16+

Speakers

Julia Eccleshare

Julia Eccleshare is a writer, broadcaster and lecturer. She was the Guardian's children's books editor until 2016.

Headshot of Julia Eccleshare

Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman is one of the most highly respected children's authors writing today. Winner of many prestigious awards, including the Carnegie of Carnegies and the Whitbread Award, Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials has been acclaimed as a modern classic It has sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide and been translated into over 40 languages. He recently published the final novel in The Book of Dust trilogy which followed it. In 2005 he was awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Headshot of Philip Pullman

Sam Leith

Sam Leith is Literary Editor of The Spectator and had also written extensively for the Guardian, TLS, Financial Times, Telegraph and Daily Mail. He was a judge for the 2015 Man Booker Prize and has judged every other major UK literary award. His previous books include You Talkin’ To Me?: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Trump and Beyond and Write To The Point: How to be Clear, Correct, and Persuasive on the Page. The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading was A Sunday Times, Irish Times, Financial Times, Independent, Daily Mail, TLS, Economist, Prospect, Evening Standard and New Statesman Book of the Year 2024.

Headshot of Sam Leith