I visited the Newark Book Festival, held in Newark, UK, from July 9th to July 12th, 2026 (specifically for just one day on the 11th). After a ride of about an hour and a half from London on the LNER (London North Eastern Railway), I disembarked at Newark Northgate Station, arriving at around 8:30 AM.
Stepping out of the station building, my very first impression was how remarkably quiet the atmosphere was—a stark contrast to the bustling surroundings of Blackfriars Station or St. Paul's Station, the closest stops to the venue of Capital Crime Literary 2026. There were no major tourist attractions, prominent shops, or even many people in sight; it was, in every sense, the station front of a "country town." Indeed, a quick search online revealed that this festival receives public funding from Arts Council England—a national agency under the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport—under the banner of town revitalization. This confirmed that my initial impression was not far off the mark.
After walking for about 15 to 20 minutes from the station, I arrived at the Palace Theatre, one of the festival venues. Since there was still some time before my scheduled talk was due to begin, I decided to wander around in search of the Market Place, which I expected to be nearby after seeing it pictured on the festival's official website. As it turned out, the Market Place was less than a 10-minute walk from the Palace Theatre. It was a square enclosed on all four sides by buildings, and what struck me most was how the roofs of all the temporary market stalls were uniformly styled in red and white stripes. The stalls were selling bread, cheese, fruit, and clothing. Among them, perhaps in keeping with the festival, was a stall lined with a vast selection of mystery paperbacks offered at bargain prices. I bought two sweet pastries from one of the stalls for breakfast, ate them on a bench, and then headed back to the venue as the talk was about to start.
Between the talks, I spent my time exploring the Market Place and its surroundings. Inside Newark Town Hall, one of the buildings framing the Market Place, members of the Fossway Writers—a local civic writers' group that has been active in Newark for many years—had set up tables to display and sell their own books. Once the final talk concluded, I made my way home.
(I attended three lectures at this festival. On this page, I will quote from one of them.)
Lecture 1: Nordic Noir
Speakers
Antti Tuomainen: One of Finland's most internationally acclaimed and widely read authors. After working in the advertising industry for 12 years, he made his debut as a novelist in 2006 with "Tappaja, toivoaksensi" (Killer, hopefully). With his 2016 novel "Mies joka kuoli" (The Man Who Died), his style brilliantly shifted from dark crime noir to black comedy.
Katrín Júlíusdóttir: Icelandic former politician and novelist. She previously served as Minister of Industry, Energy, and Tourism, as well as Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs. She made her highly acclaimed novelist debut in 2020 with "Sykur" (translated into English as "Dead Sweet").
Moderator
Sara Bullimore: The Artistic Director of the Newark Book Festival.
Discussion Highlights
*Please note that these highlights are a broad summary of the main points.
Q: I feel that the protagonists of both of your works become completely different people by the time they reach the end of their stories compared to who they were at the start. Both experience major journeys, both physically and psychologically. How do these extreme, pressure-cooker situations force them to grow as human beings, and what kind of paths do they travel?
Antti: "I always begin writing with a character—a single individual who has a problem. At its core, that is what great drama is. This character is always facing a massive, overwhelming challenge that cannot be solved simply by relying on authority figures like the police, or by relying on others. They have to resolve the situation themselves, and that is the part that fascinates me. It comes down to: 'How far would you go?' and 'If you felt a strong enough sense of guilt, duty, or the need to protect someone, what would you actually do?' While they are resolving extremely concrete and realistic external problems, they must simultaneously resolve something internal within themselves. That is always my starting point. The plot naturally flows from there."
(Following this, the discussion turned to how human relationships are depicted within their works. Katrín shared her thoughts in response:)
Katrín: "Many human relationships appear in my work as well. This is probably because I have a very large and diverse network of relationships in my own real life. I cherish all of them, and they are incredibly important to me. Therefore, if you want to write deep, multi-dimensional characters, you must depict their relationships, and I believe it is vital to plan those relationships very meticulously. For me, that is even more important than the plot. Characters that readers can emphathize with must be multi-faceted, and that is easiest to convey through their connections and dialogue with others. I dedicate a great deal of focus to that. While a plot certainly exists, it always follows far behind the development of the characters."
Q (Audience): As you write more books, do you find that the writing process becomes "easier" because you have figured out your past patterns of success? Or does it become "harder" because you feel the need to take a different approach from your previous works and develop entirely new characters?
Katrín: "Before I actually begin writing, there is a phase where I construct almost the entire story inside my head. During this time, I spend a lot of time waiting until the characters truly come alive. In that sense, writing my first novel was easier than the second because I was able to dedicate much more time to it. Now, it has become harder because I cannot afford to have that long incubation period where I 'let the story mature inside me for years' before putting it out into the world."
Antti: "If you ask me whether it gets easier, the answer is 'no.' If you ask whether it gets harder, the answer is 'yes.' However, it is not quite that simple. I always want to try new things. I strive to bring a fresh approach to each work and discover new perspectives and tones. That said, one advantage of having written many books is that I know what I am trying to achieve, and I have developed an intuitive sense of whether I am reaching that goal. I can recognize the moment when I feel 'this is it.' Of course, I still go down the wrong path many times along the way. Some aspects become easier, while others become more challenging. But—and this is a truly mysterious thing—whenever I start a new book, I always begin from the exact same blank screen."
(In response to an audience question regarding supporting characters, Antti shared the following:)
Antti: "I absolutely love writing supporting characters because it allows me to enjoy true freedom. Normally, a protagonist must act with at least some degree of decency and carry the role of moving the narrative forward in a relatively logical manner. But when it comes to supporting characters, you can have them do almost anything. You can make them behave in wild, eccentric ways that a protagonist never could, which makes writing supporting characters incredibly fun."
