A turn-up for the books

From relatively humble beginnings nine years ago, the festival is now one of the biggest highlights of the local arts calendar and this year featured more than 60 events, including talks from inspirational speakers and renowned writers, as well as children’s events and writers’ workshops.

It is heartening, in an age when so many people’s precious free time is squandered staring at phone screens and scrolling through social media feeds, that a festival centred on books can still draw in the crowds.

The demise of the humble printed book has been predicted for decades, with each new technological advancement being hailed as the beginning of the end. Yet, as a source of entertainment and knowledge, it has managed to survive the invention of radio, TV, computers, the internet, games consoles and smart phones. Even the creation of digital books, which have provided a new and more efficient way to read and store your favourite tomes, has so far failed to kill off the printed versions.

The fact is that there is still something a bit special about holding a physical book in your hands, feeling the paper as you turn the pages, smelling the ink, sensing the history.

Further proof of their enduring appeal came this week from Guille-Alles Library, which revealed that loans of children’s books had shot up 32% since the refurbishment of its children’s section was completed in December, and visits to the library as a whole have increased by 10% in the first three months of this year.

It would appear that the death of books has been greatly exaggerated.

Since the arts are generally considered a ‘nice to have’ luxury rather than a spending priority, events such as the Literary Festival tend to depend on the passion, dedication and goodwill of volunteers, sponsors and patrons, not to mention the support of the public.

There have been suggestions in recent months that Guernsey should consider making arts and culture more of a priority to boost the island’s brand and attract more tourists.

The festival’s success is proof that, with a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work, it is possible to put on a successful arts event without spending multiple millions of taxpayers’ money.