Literature festival starring Mark E Smith and John Cooper Clarke kicked off on February 11

Mar 13 2009 by Dave Himelfield

Literature festival starring Mark E Smith and John Cooper Clarke kicked off on February 11

THE BIGGEST literature event ever to hit Huddersfield has kicked off in cutting-edge style.

Fans of the written word gathered at The Media Centre, Northumberland Street, for the fourth annual Huddersfield Literature Festival (HLF) followed by a burlesque launch party.

The event, which includes its strongest line-up ever, promises to further establish Huddersfield as a stop on every fiction and non-fiction fan’s tour.

Headlining this year’s festival are original punk poet John Cooper Clarke and frontman of cult (and John Peel) favourites The Fall. They chat and perform on Sunday (8pm) at the Lawrence Batley Theatre and Huddersfield University St Paul’s Hall (7.30pm) respectively.

Other big attractions include broadcaster and comedian Ian McMillan who shares the stage with Cartoonist of the Year Tony Husband at St Paul’s Hall tonight (7.30pm).

And representing the Huddersfield quarter is Almondbury author of Chocolat – later made into an academy award nominated film – Joanne Harris who plays the same venue tomorrow (7.30pm).

Harris, who is also a patron of the festival, says the event may convince the complacent London literature set the North has its fair share of top writers.

She said: “There’s an awful lot of good writers here and there are some very good festivals but until recently we didn’t have one in Huddersfield.