This event will feature a public talk by the award-winning author Tim Butcher in tandem with the release of his latest book, Chasing The Devil. This will be followed by a Q&A and book signing session.

Adventure-traveller Tim Butcher lost friends in Sierra Leone during its civil war and was threatened with death by the Liberian warlord Charles Taylor, but he faced down these demons last year when he trekked for 350 miles across both countries. He wanted to learn how a society recovers after conflict so brutal it created some of modern Africa’s most troubling icons – child soldiers, blood diamonds, prisoner mutilation. Following a trail blazed in 1935 by a young and whisky-steeped Graham Greene, Tim slept in villages run by `devils’, masked spiritual figures who keep society’s secrets. In his talk, Tim will describe how he encountered a remarkable African spirit to survive and he will tackle difficult questions about how this spirit to survive rarely transforms into a spirit to thrive.

Places are limited, so please book ahead to avoid disappointment.

Tim Butcher is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and best-selling author. British-born but based in Cape Town he writes on a range of subjects including Africa, the Middle East and international security. His first book, Blood River – A Journey To Africa’s Broken Heart, described an epic journey he endured through the Congo. It topped the Sunday Times best-seller list in 2008, was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, Britain’s top non-fiction book award and has been translated into six languages.

In the 2003 Gulf War he led the Daily Telegraph’s award-winning reporting team in Iraq and was shortlisted for the prestigious Foreign Press Association reporter of the year award for his coverage of the 2006 Lebanon war. He is a regular contributor to the BBC’s prestigious foreign affairs programme, From Our Own Correspondent. Born in 1967 and educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, he was on the staff of the Telegraph from 1990 to 2009. His latest book, Chasing the Devil, is an account of a journey of discovery through post-war Sierra Leone and Liberia.

To learn more about Tim, and his previous book Blood River, please click here.

Author Event
16 Sept 2010,
7pm - 8.30pm

Entrance Fee: £5
Concession: £3**
** Students, retirees and unemployed
Note: Entrance fee includes a glass of wine and tickets are redeemable for a £2 off purchase of the author's book