If you are part of a reading group or want to arrange a night out with a group of book-loving friends, then you might want to take advantage of our special MLF Reading Group Ticket Offer for this event. Book for four or more people and get all your tickets at the concessionary rate. The offer is available online or by phoning our Box Office on 0843 208 0500 and quoting MLF Reading Group Offer at the time of booking.

Navtej Sarna and Shrabani Basu discuss their different approaches to writing about real historical figures. Navtej Sarna is currently India's Ambassador to Israel. His latest novel The Exile is based on the life of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of Punjab. He is also the author of We Weren't Lovers Like That as well as non-fiction titles including The Book of Nanak and a translation of Zafarnama. His short stories have been broadcast on the BBC World Service and he is a regular contributor to the Times Literary Supplement and several Indian journals and newspapers. Shrabani Basu is the author of the critically acclaimed Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidante, Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan and Curry, The Story of the Nation’s Favourite Dish. She is also the London correspondent of the Calcutta-based newspapers Anandabazar Patrika and The Telegraph. The event will be chaired by Dr Jerome De Groot, author of The Historical Novel and Consuming History.