Sebastian Barry Cancels 2017 Adelaide Writers' Week Appearance

Adelaide Writers' Week is sad to announce the cancellation of Irish author Sebastian Barry's appearance at the March 4 to 9 event.

The award-winning playwright, novelist and poet was due to depart England for Australia today, but has been forced to cancel his travel plans due to the illness of a close family member.

A spokesperson from Barry's publisher Allen & Unwin today said: "We have been notified overnight that a very close family member of Sebastian's is extremely ill and in light of this he is unable to travel to Australia. He was very much looking forward to the trip but unfortunately it is impossible for him to travel at this time."

Replacement authors for Barry's two Writers' Week sessions will be listed online in due course at the Adelaide Festival website atadelaidefestival.com.au and in signage at the event.

Adelaide Writers' Week runs Saturday March 4 to Thursday March 9 as part of the 2017 Adelaide Festival.

The stellar line-up includes 85 poets, playwrights, novelists, historians, biographers, scientists, feminists, journalists and more from Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Cuba, Korea, Iceland, New Zealand, Indonesia and Germany, in six days of free open air readings and literary conversation in Adelaide's stunning Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden.

Featured writers include UK journalist and war correspondent Patrick Cockburn, Nathan Hill (US), Graeme Macrae Burnet (UK), Jessie Burton (UK), Janine di Giovanni (US), Australian journalist and broadcaster Richard Fidler, Giulia Enders (GER), Peter Ho Davies (US), Peter Robinson (UK), Jessa Crispin (US), Decca Aitkenhead (UK), Alberto Manguel (ARG/CAN), Kate Summerscale (UK), Elizabeth Harrower (AUS), Kate Grenville (AUS), Booker Prize nominated Canadian author Madeleine Thien, best-selling South Australian author Hannah Kent, American feminist and internet troll hunter Lindy West, and many others.

Now in its sixth year under the direction of Laura Kroetsch, Adelaide Writers' Week is a free event, giving writers, readers and lovers of literature a chance to spend a week immersed in stories and experiences. The program guide is available free of charge, and can be collected from all good bookshops and participating newsagents and libraries across Adelaide or downloaded from the Adelaide Festival websiteadelaidefestival.com.au .

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