London Literature Festival 2017: The best events for bookworms to book for, from Tom Hanks to Philip Pullman

The big news that made a splash this week left many of us wondering if we’d be sleepless outside the Southbank Centre: Tom Hanks is coming to London to read from his short story collection.

The appearance, which will be his only UK date to talk about the book, will close the Southbank Centre’s annual London Literature Festival. Tickets will go on sale next week - and they’ll go like hotcakes, so set your alarm.

If you don’t nab tickets for the Hankster, or you just fancy finding out about what other literary shenanigans are going on, we’ve rounded up a few of the highlights that we think bookworms will want to book for.

Man Booker Prize readings

The longlist for the Booker Prize was announced this week, with big hitters like Arundhati Roy, Zadie Smith, George Saunders, Ali Smith and Paul Auster in the running, alongside Fiona Mozley, who wrote her book on her commute.

The shortlist won’t be announced until September 13, but whoever makes it to the next stage will be reading from their nominated tome at the Southbank on the eve of the announcement. October 16

Annie Leibovitz

American photographer Annie Leibovitz’s portraits have defined the genre, and she’s snapped just about everyone. She’s publishing a book to celebrate the last decade of her work, and will appear exclusively at London Literature Festival to talk about it. October 22

Philip Pullman

Fans were delighted with the news announced earlier this year that Pullman would be returning to much-loved Dark Materials character Lyra Belacqua in a new book. Set ten years before Northern Lights, La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust Volume One explores a world where totalitarianism is on the rise. Pullman will be at the festival to talk about why that’s so relevant today. October 20

Rebecca Solnit

The writer who coined the term ‘mansplaining’ is following up book Men Explain Things To Me with a new book, The Mother of All Questions.

She says she hopes to open up feminism for everyone, and will appear to discuss her new book which covers everything from the gender binary to rape jokes. October 30

Karl Ove Knausgard

The acclaimed Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgard’s appearance will tie in with the Southbank’s year-long celebration of Nordic culture, Nordic Matters. He publishes a book this autumn, conveniently titled Autumn - a letter to his unborn daughter, reflecting on the world she will inherit. October 23

Poetry International

The poetry festival founded fifty years ago by Ted Hughes will open London Literature Festival for the first time. It’s the Southbank’s longest running festival, with a whole weekend devoted to poetry and spoken word.

This year will see the launch of the Endangered Poetry Project, which will campaign to collect poems in endangered languages, and readings from acclaimed poets such as Claudia Rankine and Anne Carson. October 13-15

Nelson Mandela: The Presidential Years

Dare Not Linger, Mandela’s sequel to Long Walk to Freedom, is soon to be published - and London Literature Festival are hosting the exclusive UK launch of it. The book, which he was unable to finish before he passed away, has been completed by Mandla Langa using Mandela’s notes. This event will see a cast of well-known actors performing a reading of the book, followed by a panel discussion chaired by Jon Snow. October 22

London Literature Festival takes place at the Southbank Centre from October 13 - November 1; southbankcentre.co.uk