Northern writers from Elizabeth Gaskell to the Bronte sisters have created great novels and new genres that have transformed literature. But it’s not just the big names of Victorian literature…

The North of England boasts a huge literary canon from The Hundred and One Dalmatians to Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. Mancunian writers have often led the way, from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic The Secret Garden to Isabella Banks’ The Manchester Man. And don’t forget Lancashire dialect writers like John Collier (‘Tim Bobbin’), Edwin Waugh and Samuel Bamford.

Now journalist and bestselling author Brian Groom shares the story of Northern writers and the North’s portrayal on the page. Celebrate Lancashire Day with a special talk exploring the literary stories of the North of England.

Brian Groom’s Northerners: A History, from the Ice Age to the Present Day (2022) became a national bestseller; Made in Manchester: A People’s History of the City That Shaped the Modern World, came out last year. Originally from Stretford, he worked mainly at the Financial Times, where he did top jobs including political editor and assistant editor. He also launched and later edited Scotland on Sunday, the Scotsman‘s Sunday paper.

‘This was a very special talk – heartfelt, personal and engaging.’ ​Visitor to previous event