News for Austen Enthusiasts: September 2024

Before you get tucked in though, it's time to recap all the Jane Austen news and updates you might have missed whilst promenading around Bath in your Regency period finery... 

Jane Austen Festival makes a splash in the news 

It was an honour and a pleasure to once again play host, alongside many friends and organisations, to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath this September. The festival saw thousands of Jane Austen fans descend on the city for ten days of Regency fun, workshops, balls and more. Of course, all your fantastic costumes caught the eye of the press, and it's always fun to see all the coverage. 

Read more at the BBC >>

Jane Austen Festival to mark author's 250th birthday

If you missed out on this year's festival and would like to join us for the next one, we have great news - 2025's festival is going to be bigger and better than ever, and not just because it's going to mark Jane Austen's 250th birthday. You can keep an eye on our Jane Austen Festival 2025 page, which will stay updated with information about the festival itself. As well as letting you know all about events throughout the year to celebrate 250 years of Jane.

Check out the 2025 festival homepage >

Jane Austen garden opens in Alton 

The town of Alton, in Austen's native county of Hampshire, has become home to a new Jane Austen memorial garden. The garden, which is on the town's high street, features flowers and plants popular in the Regency period, as well as two benches designed to look like the wheels of a carriage. A lovely addition! 

Read more at the BBC >>

Cecelia Ahern reveals she couldn't finish Emma 

Cecelia Ahern, author of P.S. I Love You, has revealed that she struggled to get into Jane Austen's Emma. In an interview for the Times, she revealed that she was once asked to write a novel inspired by Emma for a series of retellings, but she simply couldn't get through it. We forgive her though - right?

Read more at the Times >>

Pat Barker hated Pride and Prejudice first time around 

In a double whammy of authors confessing to dubious encounters with Austen, Pat Barker has also confessed to disliking Pride and Prejudice upon a first reading at age fourteen. Fortunately she also clarifies that she returned to it at a later date, better able to appreciate Austen's genius. Phew. 

Read more at The Guardian >>

House with Austen link may be demolished

Ashe Park, in Hampshire, may be demolished to make way for a new country manor house. Ashe Park was frequently visited by Austen when her friend Anne Lefroy lived there, and is only a mile or so from Steventon Rectory. Despite the fact that these plans might initially alarm Austen fans, it wouldn't be the first time the building has undergone significant renovations in the intervening years. Indeed, the manor is afforded no special status or listed status. What do you think?

Read more at the Basingstoke Gazette >>

Booker Prize shortlist dominated by women writers

We like to think that Jane Austen would be thrilled to see other lady novelists thriving, so we reckon she would have been pleased to see this year's Booker Prize Shortlists. Amongst the nominees, five out of six are women, presenting novels from across a range of genres and subject matters. 

Read more about the shortlist at the BBC >>

AS ALWAYS, WE WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF WE HAVE MISSED ANYTHING, AS WELL AS ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEWS! 

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