The 18th International
Thomas Hardy Conference & Festival
Dorchester Dorset UK

Saturday 26 July - Saturday 2nd August 2008

Planning for the Thomas Hardy Society's fortieth anniversary Conference programme is well underway and will offer an exciting mix of lectures, seminars, talks, poetry readings, excursions, walks and entertainments.

Following on from the success of the 2006 Conference and Festival, the 2008 programme will be of a similar format.

A special focus for 2008 will be the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the Society
in 1968.

Leading Hardy scholars will deliver the academic content of the programme.

Prize-winning contestants of our Poetry Competition together with Bernard O'Donoghue will be giving poetry readings.

There will be guided walks and coach trips around Thomas Hardy's 'Wessex'.

Drama and musical performances will take place at different venues including the Dorset County Museum and Minterne House, Minterne Magna.

There will be receptions, suppers, tastings and a chance to take tea at Max Gate.

Especially for 2008 will be an auction of paintings and memorabilia conducted by leading auctioneers Duke's.

The Conference will be based at The United Church, South Street, Dorchester where Conference members will be welcome to register their arrival from 12 noon onwards on Saturday 26 July. The official launch will be at 7pm with party and musical entertainment.

Members of the Thomas Hardy Society £210
Non-members and guests of members £230
Full time student members of the Society £50

Deposit per person on booking £70
Deposit per student member £10

Balance of fee due by 1 July 2008
NB. Deposit refunded only if cancellation is received by 1 May 2008

Conference & Festival membership fee includes lectures, talks, seminars, poetry readings, evening entertainments, first night reception and farewell party. Charges for excursions, walks and Max Gate Teas are in addition.

Click here for Conference 2008 Booking Form
The Society is always delighted to welcome visitors on a daily basis,
for those unable to come for the whole week.

The Conference Secretary
The Thomas Hardy Society
P.O. Box 1438, Dorchester, Dorset UK. DT1 1YH
e-mail: info@hardysociety.org
Telephone: +44 (0)1305 251501

Office hours are 1400hrs - 1600hrs, Monday - Thursday. Answerphone at other times.

The 2008 Conference will be a particularly significant one, as marking the eightieth anniversary of Hardy’s death and the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the Thomas Hardy Society. Like its predecessors it will be designed to appeal both to Hardy scholars and to the lay readers who attend in large numbers. The academic sessions will be supplemented by a wide variety of excursions and entertainments relating to the local context which Hardy’s work celebrated,
and from which it emerged.

Our invited speakers are Fran Brearton, Alan Chedzoy, Phillip Mallett, Bill Morgan, Stephen Regan, Christopher Ricks, Nicola Watson and Peter Widdowson. We are also soliciting papers from Hardy scholars across the world. A series of thirty-minute talks will be given in chaired parallel sessions. Proposals for such lectures, which may concern any aspect of Hardy’s work, should take the form of an abstract not exceeding 250 words in length. They should be addressed to:

‘Call for Papers’
The Thomas Hardy Society
PO BOX 1438, Dorchester
Dorset, DT1 1YH, UK

All submissions will be read and adjudicated by an academic panel. The closing date is January 31, 2008.
The best of the papers given at the Conference will be eligible for publication in the book-length
Thomas Hardy Journal appearing in Autumn, 2008.

Applications are invited for this award which commemorates Dr. Frank Pinion's contribution to Thomas Hardy studies. His many publications on Hardy include:

'A Thomas Hardy Companion'; 'Thomas Hardy: his life and friends'; 'Hardy the writer: surveys and assessments'; 'A commentary on the poems of Thomas Hardy'; 'Thomas Hardy: art and thought'; 'A Thomas Hardy Dictionary' and 'One rare fair woman (letters to Florence Henniker, edited jointly with Evelyn Hardy). Dr Pinion also edited The Thomas Hardy Society Review, which later became the Thomas Hardy Journal. He was a Vice-President of the Society.

Dr. Pinion's entire career was with young people, his own interest in Thomas Hardy began when a student: the Award was founded by his students. For these reasons, it was decided to devote the Award to young people wishing to further their Thomas Hardy studies. It provides financial help to attend the Thomas Hardy Conference, enabling the winner to hear lectures by Hardy scholars and visit many Hardy locations. The closing date is 31 March 2008.

AWARD DETAILS

The Award is linked to the Thomas Hardy Conference and is made every two years.

The Award is £250 towards attendance at the Conference.

Applications are not limited to Society members.

Applicants must be under the age of 35 by 26 July 2008 (The start of the Conference).

Applications must be in writing and be based on reasons for wishing to attend the Conference. These may relate to an emerging but strong interest in Thomas Hardy or a continuation of research on Hardy. A short CV giving relevant details concerning your date of birth and interest in Thomas Hardy should be included.

Applications will be judged by a panel drawn from members of the Sheffield Branch of the Thomas Hardy Society. Their decision is final.

The winner will be notified by mid-May and the Award presented during the Conference.

Applications, marked clearly The Frank Pinion Award, must be submitted by 31 March 2008 to the Society at:

The Thomas Hardy Society,
PO Box 1438,
Dorchester,
Dorset
DT1 1YH,
United Kingdom.