IT´S FESTIVAL TIME IN DEYA

By Humphrey Carter DEYA explodes into life this week with the start of the second Tertulia festival which opens on Friday. Organised by Pamela Easton and the internationally famous Hay Festival, Deya's Tertulia festival promises fours days of books, film, music, art, good food, wine and conversation and this year's line up of guest artists, writers, filmmakers, performers and musicians is outstanding. The festival also brings together a rich mix of international cultures in one village and simultaneous translations available in English, Spanish and Catalan. The guest speakers and performers are not just English-speaking but Majorcan and Spanish too. Music and musical conversations are going to be provided by writer, pianist and radio broadcaster Ben Sidran; Leo Sidran the producer of last year's Best Song and the Oscars; Majorca's very own rock star Jaime Anglada; pianist Suzanne Bradbury; and the legendary former Strangler's frontman Hugh Cornwell will all be performing. A touch of comedy and wild excitement is going to be provided by Julian Clarey talking about sex, frocks, death and double-entendres from his book A Young Man's Passage while the award winning author Ian McEwan will be reading and discussing his latest best-seller Saturday. There is a wealth of English, Spanish and Catalan poetry this year. The iconic Merseyside poet Roger McGough will be discussing his work and three Barcelona-based poets will be discussing the sense of word versus the concept of the world. Tomas Graves will be talking to travel writer Tahir Shah about his encounters with Indian sorcerers, Persian birdmen and Moroccan exorcists and Julia Blackburn will be discussing her biography of Billie Holiday With Billie. Majorcan film director Toni Bestard and the director of the MFA International Film Festival Philip Rogan will be presenting a selection of local and international short films. Deya resident Lynne Franks will be leading a discussion session about the feminine perspective on spirituality, social change and political activism in this current global climate. Can women do it better she and Gwyneth Lewis, Gilli Smith and Rosie Boycott will be asking. Boycott, the former editor of the Daily Express and The Independent will also be chairing a discussion between the editor of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger and the editor of El Pais about the future of print media. Lynne Franks will also be talking to author Cynthia Lennon and her latest portrait of her marriage to John Lennon. The festival opens on Friday, with music and entertainment every night, and draws to a close on Monday. Tickets are available from Sa Nostra in Deya, Calabruis bookshop in Soller and the Literatura bookshop in Palma - or on the door but best book in advance.