EVENTS
Sir Andrew Motion On 4 June, Hughes was delighted to welcome one of the UK’s leading poetic voices and former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion for a special event to mark the centenary of World War One: ‘When the sun shone in vain’ – Sir Andrew Motion on Edward Thomas and the War Poets. The audience was captivated by Sir Andrew’s readings from Thomas and from selections of his own work. He also paid tribute to Hughes Hall
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Honorary Fellow Professor Masa Ohtake, who has made a gift of his collection of rare books to Hughes, a collection particularly rich in rare Edward Thomas editions and World War One poetry. ‘Professor Ohtake and I share a love of Edward Thomas’s work and I was delighted to see the early Thomas editions as well as the other beautiful books which Professor Ohtake has donated to Hughes. It is a marvellous collection.’
Burns’ Night Formal
Margaret Drabble Q&A
The College was alive with the scent of heather, the flash of bright tartan and the soulful wail of the pipes on 24 January as we celebrated Burns’ night in the company of students, Fellows and guests. Professor Nabeel Affara, resplendent in a kilt of Affara Tartan (seriously!) delivered a tour-de-force recitation of the ode to the Haggis, fresh from its tour of the dining hall in the company of a kilted Dr Michael Franklin. It was then devoured, along with its smaller kin, by the appreciative throng.
In January, Margaret Drabble answered questions from Professor Mary Buckley on Cambridge days, the themes she explores in her novels and the issues about which she cares most, including attitudes towards mental health and gender relations. Margaret Drabble is a Cambridge graduate and internationally acclaimed for her contribution to literature. In 2011 she was given the Golden Pen Award for ‘a lifetime’s distinguished service to literature’ and in 2013 her eighteenth novel