Alex Preston’s latest novel is A Stranger in Corfu. On the Greek island of Vidos the past lingers like salt in the air. The inhabitants – former members of MI6 – are sent here to be forgotten. Exiled. Either too damaged or too compromised to be allowed to live freely. For years, residents make the best of their fate – old enemies reconcile, long-lost friends swim together in the warm sea and estranged lovers share a bed once more. But secrets bind tightly. And when one of their own washes up dead, alliances fracture and a tide of suspicion begins to rise. A vivid reimagining of a real, hidden slice of the British Intelligence Service’s history, A Stranger in Corfu is an exquisitely tense and masterfully spun novel about shadowy morality, unravelled secrets and the futility of trying to outrun the past.
At this event Alex will talk about his writing life, read from his work and answer questions from the audience. His book will be on sale at the Festival and he will be happy to sign copies after his talk.
Alex Preston is the prize-winning author of five novels and a book of nature writing. He writes for the Financial Times, The Economist and Harper’s Bazaar, and reviews books for The Observer’s New Review and The New York Times. He co-founded the Corfu Literary Festival and is patron of Oxford and Wealden Literary Festivals. He studied English under Tom Paulin at Hertford College, Oxford, and holds a PhD on Violence in the Modern Novel from UCL.
You can see all seven of our Local Heroes, including this event, for a discounted price of only £30. Grab your Local Heroes pass
