Anthony Powell Conference 2027

Conference Booking is Now Open
Conference Booking Form

Conference Background & Information

Conference Introduction

To be held at Epworth Hall, Nicolson Square, close to the University of Edinburgh, the conference's plenary proceedings will begin at lunchtime on Friday 9th and continue throughout Saturday 10th, concluding with an optional conference reception and dinner.

On Sunday 11th, delegates will be offered the option of a coach tour to the Scottish Borders, an hour south of Edinburgh, to visit Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott.

Papers will feature the theme of Anthony Powell and the Occult, as well as other Powell-relevant subjects, and connections to Scottish writers.

The occult theme reflects a distinctive, recurring strand in A Dance to the Music of Time. Through figures such as Mrs Erdleigh, Dr Trelawney and Scorpio Murtlock, and through the motifs of prophecy, clairvoyance, planchette etc., Powell repeatedly links the world of the paranormal and the esoteric to his wider interest in fate, pattern and unseen influence within the social order.

Edinburgh

The world's first UNESCO City of Literature, associated with writers including Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, JK Rowling, Sir Ian Rankin and Sir Alexander McCall Smith, Edinburgh provides a fitting setting for the Society’s first post-Covid conference. As a global centre of the arts and a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its juxtaposition of medieval and neoclassical urban architecture, it is an apt setting for a gathering devoted to the works and influence of Anthony Powell.

Conference Booking

Booking is now available via the Conference Booking Form

Please note that delegates are responsible for their own travel and accommodation.

Travel & Accommodation

Outside of the Edinburgh Festival in August, hotels and Airbnbs are easily obtainable in a price range to suit most budgets.
Helpful advice and links on both travel and accommodation can be found on the Forever Edinburgh website.
Hotels may also be found on Tripadvisor or other similar websites.

Please address all enquiries to Colin Donald at conference@anthonypowell.org