Madame Matisse: The Women Who Made the Artist

To celebrate the launch of Sophie Haydock's new novel, Madame Matisse (Penguin) - 'a 'sizzling story of the art world' (Daily Mail) - join us for a fascinating discussion about the women who shaped the life of the artist Henri Matisse, and about turning history into fiction.

Sophie Haydock has been described by The Spectator as "the art world's Philippa Gregory". A journalist (Sunday Times, Financial Times, Guardian), editor and author, she is based in Folkestone, Kent, where she directs the Folkestone Book Festival. Her debut novel, The Flames, is about the muses who posed for the controversial Austrian artist Egon Schiele. It was longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award and won the Impress Prize for New Writers. It has been translated into seven languages and named by The Times as one of the Best Historical Fiction Books of 2022. Sophie has interviewed many  leading authors, including Hilary Mantel, Maggie O’Farrell, Bernardine Evaristo, Sally Rooney and Amy Tan. 

Sophie will be in discussion with Literary Leicester festival director, Harry Whitehead, author of The Cannibal Spirit (Penguin), which also dealt with real historical figures and events, in this case the trial of a First Nations man accused of cannibalism in nineteenth century Canada.