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Come Together to celebrate history of The Beatles

Published: 2 June 2021 at 16:30

Craig Brown

Satirist Craig Brown to discuss award-winning book at event hosted by Anglia Ruskin

Satirist and author Craig Brown will step back in time to discuss his award-winning book marking 50 years of the breakup of The Beatles during an online event hosted by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) for Essex Book Festival.

Brown will talk to the BBC’s Tony Fisher about his work, 1 2 3 4: The Beatles In Time, an odyssey of the band’s days from The Cavern Club to the Port of Harwich where they set sail for Hamburg to play ninety-two days consecutively without a break, to 1o April 1970 - the day Paul McCartney issued a press statement stating he was to go his own way.

The book, a kaleidoscopic mix of party lists, diaries, autobiography, anecdotes, diaries and fan letters, 1 2 3 4 not only captures the inner world of The Beatles, but also the wider world of the era: The Swinging Sixties, replete with the advent of the Women’s Lib Movement, Mary Quant’s outrageously short mini-skirts and Audrey Hepburn’s iconic beehive, plus the explosion of new writers, artists, musicians, including the likes of Andy Warhol, Alan Sillitoe and The Kinks.

It also provides tantalising insights into others who played a pivotal part in The Beatles story, such as John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi, his father Fred Lennon, The Maharishi, Yoko Ono, Brian Epstein, Phil Spector, and Mohammad Ali.

The book won the Baillie Gifford Award 2020, and was named a book of the year by The Spectator, the Sunday Times and the Telegraph.

The online event takes place from 7.30pm until 9.30pm on Thursday, 10 June, with two pricing options - £10 or pay what you can. Booking is via the Essex Book Festival website.

Laura Scarle, Public Engagement Officer at ARU, said:

 

“We’re delighted to be teaming up once again with the Essex Book Festival this year and this event promises to be a real treat for those of us for whom The Beatles represents something special in our lives.

“It is a privilege to be welcoming Craig Brown, who has done such a fantastic job of charting the spectacular and lengthy history of a UK institution. It promises to be a fascinating night.”