Hay Festival Presents... A Night of Pleasure

Why It Matters

Understanding the books that ignite writers’ careers reveals how early, diverse reading fuels literary innovation, guiding publishers, educators, and cultural institutions toward nurturing the next generation of storytellers.

Key Takeaways

• Panelists discuss formative books shaping their writing identities.
• Childhood reads range from Sesame Street to literary classics.
• Authors emphasize the need for unique voice beyond imitation.
• New releases highlighted: Yasmin Abdel Majid’s fantasy series and novel.
• Event underscores literature’s role in cultural dialogue and personal growth.

Summary

The Hay Festival’s "Night of Pleasure" brought together four writers and a critic to explore the books that first sparked their desire to write. Hosted by Tom Gaty, the panel featured Yasmin Abdel Majid, Tamima Anam, Stephanie Sakia and Chris Power, each tracing a personal literary origin story while promoting upcoming titles such as Abdel Majid’s new children’s fantasy series and her eco‑thriller.

The conversation revealed a striking diversity of formative texts: Tamima recalled a cheap Sesame Street picture book, "The Monster at the End of This Book," as the catalyst for her imagination; Chris Power cited Dennis Johnson’s gritty novella "Jesus" as a turning point that forced him to confront the limits of imitation; Stephanie Sakia named Michael Ondaatje’s "The English Patient" as the novel that taught her to value fragmented narratives; and Yasmin highlighted a forgotten adventure story that sparked her love of rebellious protagonists. Across the board, the panelists stressed that early reading experiences shape narrative instincts but also demand the development of an authentic voice.

Memorable moments included Tamima’s vivid description of finding Grover’s book for ten cents in a New York garage sale, and Power’s admission that emulating Johnson delayed his own publication by seventeen years. Sakia recounted how a GCSE essay evolved into her award‑winning poetry collection, while Abdel Majid described the tension between childhood favorites and the literary canon. These anecdotes illustrated how personal history, cultural displacement, and even school assignments can become fertile ground for future storytelling.

The discussion underscores the broader relevance of literary heritage for creators and industry stakeholders. By spotlighting the eclectic origins of contemporary writers, the event highlights the importance of accessible, diverse reading material in nurturing talent. Publishers can glean insight into emerging markets—particularly for cross‑cultural children’s fiction and eco‑thrillers—while educators see a compelling case for encouraging eclectic, pleasure‑driven reading habits.

Original Description

A quartet of writers offer up a special evening celebrating the books that bring us joy – the ultimate book club night, hosted by Observer literary editor Tom Gatti.

Marking the launch of the Hay Festival 2026 programme and celebrating the Festival's Pleasure List campaign for the UK National Year of Reading, this one-off event featured readings and conversation to spark delight.

About the speakers:

Yassmin Abdel-Magied – Born in Sudan, Y.M. Abdel-Magied's first job as a teenager was in a coal mine in rural Australia. After graduating with first class honours in Mechanical Engineering, Abdel-Magied trained and worked as a MWD (Measurement While Drilling) contractor and drilling engineer across Europe, Australia, Asia and the US. AT SEA is Abdel-Magied's first adult novel.

Tahmima Anam – Author of the Bengal trilogy and a recipient of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book and the O. Henry Award. Her short story ‘Garments’ was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. She is a Granta Best of Young British Novelist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, she trained as an anthropologist at Harvard University and now lives in London.

Chris Power – Author of the novel A Lonely Man (a Washington Post and New Statesman book of the year) and the short story collection Mothers (longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, shortlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize). His fiction has appeared in Granta, The Stinging Fly, The Dublin Review, and The White Review, and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. He writes for various newspapers and magazines and can sometimes be heard presenting Radio 4’s Open Book. He lives in London.

Stephanie Sy-Quia – Born in 1995 and is based in London. Her writing and criticism have been published in The Guardian, The White Review, The Boston Review, Granta, The TLS, and others. She is a Ledbury Poetry Critic and has twice been shortlisted for the FT Bodley Head Essay Prize. Her debut Amnion, published by Granta Poetry in 2021, received a Somerset Maugham Award and was a Poetry Book Society Winter Recommendation; was longlisted for the Rathbones Folio and RSL Ondaatje Prizes; and won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. She is the recipient of an Eric Gregory Award. Her debut novel A Private Man will be published in 2026 by Picador in the UK, Grove Atlantic in the US and Suhrkamp in Germany.