I am more than ever convinced that one of the best reasons for living in Marbella, or just visiting, is the close proximity of the island fortress of Gibraltar. It is a remarkable place – a mighty bastion guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean, a living treasure of modern history, and so close to Africa you can pop over for lunch from nearby Tarifa.
And if you ever needed a reason to go to Gibraltar check out the Gibraltar International Literary Festival. First held in 2013, and sponsored by Gibunco, its 2014 event was a huge success. The line-up of speakers was superb, as good as one would expect at the best anywhere in Europe, including Oxford, Edinburgh and Hay-on-Wye.
I enjoyed sessions with Kate Mosse (Labyrinth and Citadel), Joanne Harris (Chocolat) and Lucy Atkins (The Missing One), and one chaired by critic Erica Wagner (Seizure). Madhur Jaffrey hosted a literary salon lunch, and there was good stuff on Gibraltar’s relationship with Spain during the last war, with speakers including Jimmy Burns (author of Papa Spy) about his father Tom, who was press attaché at the British Embassy in Madrid.
And as for Tangier… books by Ian Finlayson and John Hopkins might inspire you to make that your next getaway, after Gibraltar that is.
www.gibraltarliteraryfestival.com
Text: David Wishart
