Literary Leicester Festival to explore 400 years of King James Bible

Two authors will give their insights into 400 years of the King James Bible at the forthcoming Literary Leicester Festival.

Gordon Campbell, Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Leicester, and David Crystal, Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor, will discuss the King James Bible from the perspectives of language and history.

Their discussion will consider the many ways it has influenced poets, playwrights, novelists, politicians, journalists, advertisers, Hollywood and even hip-hop in the last 400 years.

Campbell is the author of 'Bible: the story of the King James Version 1611-2011', which details how this translation came to be written and the way the text was edited and used by subsequent generations.

Crystal is author of the recently published 'Begat; the King James Bible and the English Language', in which he looks at the huge contribution the translation has made and continues to make to the English language.

2011 marks 400 years since the publication of the King James Bible.

The Literary Leciester Festival takes place from November 10 to 13 in the University of Leicester's David Wilson Library.

The two authors will discuss the King James Bible on Friday 12 November at 6pm in the New Lecture Theatre, Fielding Johnson Building South Wing, on the University’s main campus.

Admission is free but by ticket only. Call 0116 252 2455 or email arts-centre@le.ac.uk, www.embracearts.co.uk