Tales of the unexpected at Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival

Hemingway performed in a sauna will surprise audiences at Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival

Hemingway performed in a sauna is set to be an unusual highlight of the forthcoming Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival

The popular annual event starts this weekend at the Crown Hotel and Cedar Court Hotel with a stellar list of bestselling authors and big name broadcasters including Dame Prue Leith, Sir Ben Okri, Sir John Curtice, Samira Ahmed and Alexander McCall Smith.

Street typist Adam E Holdon will be bringing his unique storytelling skills to Harrogate from Saturday, October 17 to Sunday, October 18.

But the fortnight of all things books presented by Harrogate International Festivals tends to go above and beyond with unconventional twists.

This year’s Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival, which will run from Sunday, October 11 to Sunday, October 25, is turning the heat up with a unique retelling of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.

This classic tale follows Santiago, an ageing Cuban fisherman whose epic battle with a giant marlin becomes a powerful story of courage, endurance and the relationship between man and nature.

Taking place at Rudding Park Spa on Wednesday, October 14, the story takes on a whole new dimension through the growing art of Aufguss, an immersive form of sauna theatre combining heat, scent, music and performance.

Rudding Park’s resident Aufguss expert, Jena, will transport guests into the world of The Old Man and the Sea with a captivating performance in the panoramic sauna, followed by a guided cool-down in the ice baths.

No less unexpected will be street typist Adam E Holdon, who will be bringing his unique storytelling skills to Harrogate from Saturday, October 17 to Sunday, October 18.

Complete with clacking typewriter, Adam will be setting up in spaces around town where people can give him three words and a name and he will create a personalised story for them on the spot.

Meanwhile, Raworths Reading Rave on Sunday, October 25 will offer the chance to turn off the digital noise of modern life.

This free event at The Crown Hotel is a chance to enjoy an hour of uninterrupted reading in companionable silence; the non-book-clubber’s answer to a shared reading experience.

Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said: “HIF has always had a slightly rebellious streak when it comes to where and how we present great art.

“These events are playful, a little unexpected, and hopefully make people curious enough to try something they might never normally book.”