Dorchester Literary Festival

Victoria returns to Dorchester Literary Festival to talk with Vanessa Berridge about her new novel The Wine-Dark Sea

Beloved, bestselling author Victoria Hislop explores the turbulence of the post-war era in Greece in this unforgettable and riveting new novel that will delight those fans who cherish The Island and The Figurine.

During three years of brutal civil war in Greece, thousands of children were caught in the chaos that swept across the country. Huge numbers were orphaned, many found themselves imprisoned alongside their mothers and others were left to fend for themselves. The Wine-Dark Sea follows the travails of a mother, searching for both a daughter who has been kidnapped and taken behind the Iron Curtain and a boy who, unbeknown to her, has been sold into adoption.

Victoria Hislop said, ‘I am excited about the publication of The Wine-Dark Sea, which is my tenth
book. The post-war period in Greece has many untold stories, buried through shame and a desire
to forget. Research took me not just to obscure corners of Greece itself, but also outside it, to Hungary and the US. I continue to learn so much about Greece, in particular the lesser-known parts of its history, which are a source of great inspiration. The hidden stories of this country, that has made me its own, continue to fascinate me and provide rich material for fiction.ʼ

Victoria Hislop’s debut novel The Island has sold over 6 million copies. Her books have been translated into forty languages and Victoria was executive producer on the adaptations of three of her novels for Greek television. She divides her time between England and Greece and in 2020 was granted honorary citizenship by the President of Greece. She is Vice President of the British School at Athens, is on the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles and also on the Advisory Board for the Parthenon Project. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and holds Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Patra and Sheffield. In 2025, she was awarded the Byron Medal for Philhellenism at the Athens Academy and became the first woman to become an honorary member of the Society of Greek Writers.

Victoria Hislop will be in conversation with Vanessa Berridge.

This event is sponsored by Dorchester BID

Tickets £16.00 (£12.00 Students)

Tiuckets will be on sale from August 30th at the Festival Website