The Swedish cop’s creator, Henning Mankell, will be appearing at Hay via video link from a seaborne Palestinian aid convoy
✒Wallander fans hoping for a glimpse of their hero’s creator Henning Mankell at Hay tomorrow will be disappointed: the award-winning Swedish author has been forced to cancel his festival events for the second year running. Mankell has an excuse not many will be able to argue with, however – festival organisers said that the aid convoy he’s currently leading to Palestine has been delayed, and is in the process of negotiating entry into Israeli waters.
✒All is not lost, though. Mankell will be beamed in live from the boat for his evening appearance, in which he is set to talk about his trip to literary festival Palfest with Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif and interviewer Jon Snow. His morning talk, however, is being replaced with an event featuring Rory Stewart, Martin Rees, AC Grayling, John Mitchinson and Heather Brooke.
✒Those looking forward to seeing the UK’s former senior law lord Tom Bingham talking about his book The Rule of Law at a Sunday event are also set for disappointment – illness forced the eminent judge to withdraw from Hay. But Philippe Sands, David Willetts, Tristram Hunt, Audrey Niffenegger and Tiffany Murray will carry his torch, appearing together at an event which promises an intriguing mix of politics, law and literature.
✒And anyone attending former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf’s talk on Sunday should be warned: festival organisers have announced there will be heightened security at the event, with no mobile phones, bags or “metal objects” to be taken into the venue following Musharraf’s announcement that he intends to run for election again.
