A coffee with Jennifer Higgie
- Date & time
- –
- Speaker
- Jennifer Higgie, Margarita GluzbergJennifer Higgie: Australian writer, former editor of frieze magazine, presenter of Bow Down podcast; Margarita Gluzberg: Senior Lecturer at the Royal Academy Schools, Royal Academy of Arts
- Location
- John Madejski Fine Rooms | Burlington House
- Organisation
- Royal Academy of Arts
Topics
About this talk
Author Jennifer Higgie reflects on the re-release of 'Bedlam: A Novel', 20 years after its first publication. Bedlam: A Novel presents an imagined year in the life of Victorian-era artist Richard Dadd, a resident of what was once England's most notorious sanitoria, London's Bethlem Hospital – better known as Bedlam. Rendering Dadd's voice with empathy and acuity, Higgie presents a poetic and considered portrait of an artist whose elaborate fairy worlds continue to capture the imagination. The novel also reflects on the mystery of Dadd's illness, and its effect on the mind of a young British artist at the height of his powers. You will hear Higgie read an extract from the book, followed by a discussion with Margarita Gluzberg that will consider Dadd's artistic career and legacy, the intricacies of human nature, and the complexity of writing biographical fiction. Bedlam: A Novel is released by Verso in July 2026 and will be for sale in the RA Shop.
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