Authors Zadie Smith and Maggie O'Farrell and historian Mary Beard are among the big names speaking at Cliveden Literary Festival this weekend in Taplow.

Established in 2017 and now in its sixth year, hundreds are expected to attend the boutique two-day event.

Described by Tatler as the most 'glamourous' literary festival in the calendar, a number of big names across politics, broadcasting and publishing will be hosting talks and book signings.

Highlights from the Cliveden Literary Festival 2023 programme include:

Celebrated author Zadie Smith will speak to Merve Emre about her dazzling career and first foray into historical fiction; Maggie O’Farrell, author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, will discuss a life in literature with Martha Kearney; and looking back on a year of fiction, Tom Crewe, Marlon James, Fatima Farheen Mirza and Hannah Rothschild will reflect on the power and practice of the modern novel.

Historian and The Rest is History’s Tom Holland will talk about his Roman Empire trilogy and the world’s most popular podcast with Simon Sebag Montefiore; celebrated classicist Mary Beard will discuss bread, circuses and Caesars with Albert Read; Simon Schama will talk to Natalie Livingstone about his glorious career; and Peter Frankopan will speak to Catherine Ostler about the past and future of the planet.

General Petraeus and Andrew Roberts will speak to Con Coughlin about the evolution of modern conflict; Joanne Cash, Daniel Chandler, David Lammy, Emily Maitlis and Martin Ivens will talk about Labour’s expected triumph at the next election; leading political experts, authors and journalists Daniel Finkelstein, Olesya Khromeychuk, Philippe Sands and Jonathan Freedland will discuss whether international justice can ever be delivered; and economic sociologist Maryam Aslany, UAE Ambassador to the UK Mansoor Abulhoul, journalist Jake Wallis Simons, former member of the Knesset Einat Wilf and former MI6 chief Alex Younger will speak to Peter Frankopan about how Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran and Israel are redrawing the Middle East.

Director of the V&A Tristram Hunt, Chanel biographer Justine Picardie and Curator of Modern Textiles & Fashion at the V&A Oriole Cullen will explore how Gabrielle Chanel revolutionised the way women dress in a panel chaired by Catherine Ostler; in an age of AI, Yonca Dervisoglu, Will Gompertz, Albert Read and CHANEL Global Head of Arts and Culture Yana Peel will debate how creativity can thrive; finally, Marc Quinn, British contemporary artist will talk to writer Alice Thomson about the evolution of his art.

The full 2023 programme and speaker list can be viewed here.