"Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words." Dorothy Parker

WitSunday 21 May 2006 - Nine Exceptional International Writers in one place in one day plus The Time Traveler's Wife Talks with Audrey Niffenegger (right).

The programme for Auckland's premier literary event for 2006 is now available and tickets are now on sale. See below for the lineup."Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words." Dorothy Parker

WitSunday 21 May 2006 - Nine Exceptional International Writers in one place in one day plus The Time Traveler's Wife Talks with Audrey Niffenegger (right).

The programme for Auckland's premier literary event for 2006 is now available and tickets are now on sale. See below for the lineup.WitSunday is the one-day literary extravaganza presented by the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival Charitable Trust. It features nine exceptional international writers in one place on one day - the ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, THE EDGE ® on Sunday 21 May 2006.

"Its been a juggling act, with one writer pulling out on the day the programme was due to go to print," said the Festival's director, Jill Rawnsley, "but we were lucky enough to secure at the tenth hour Christopher Kremmer, author of the critically acclaimed The Carpet Wars. And John Campbell has gallantly offered to chair the event, the first of the day."
"For the first time ever we're able to offer a one-day pass to all nine events for $110 - fantastic value for anyone who wants to completely immerse themselves."

"And then Audrey Niffenegger, artist and author of the hit novel The Time Traveler's Wife, is in town for an evening event on Monday 29 May. There's been a lot of positive feedback about her visit already, and we're expecting a good turnout. I'd recommend people book early."

People can pick up a programme from libraries and all good bookshops, Ticketek outlets and the Aotea Centre - or check online at www.writersfestival.co.nz. A brief tour of WitSunday follows:

Inhaling the Mahatma | 9.30am-10.30am: Christopher Kremmer talks about his latest opus Inhaling the Mahatma which charts India's progress from Gandhian socialism to cyber economy, via religion, democracy and the occasional outbreak of violence. From outsourcing to terrorism, the author of the acclaimed international bestseller The Carpet Wars is the perfect guide to the phenomenal changes taking place in India. Christopher will be talking with John Campbell.

An Hour with John Banville | 10.45am-11.45am: John Banville's writing is melodic and sulphurous, possessing dark alleyways and sudden glimpses of windows exquisitely illuminated. His control of language is superb. Winner of the 2005 Man Booker Prize for his latest novel, The Sea, Banville looks at characteristic themes of consolation, loss and personal meaning. But a sharp, even sardonic wit is never far beneath the surface and the combination of this wit and great beauty of language make The Sea an extraordinary read. John will be talking with Iain Sharp.

Hard Drive | 12.00pm-1.00pm: Hari Kunzru's first novel The Impressionist is set at the turn of the last century in India. It was hailed by critics as a sophisticated examination of race and culture. His new novel Transmission is a searing, funny, contemporary tale of computers, corporations, ambition and the exploitation of foreign workers in the United States. The complex plot and Kunzru's ear for vapid corporate-speak bring new meaning to the phrase "worldwide web".

If a Tree Falls in a Forest | 1.45pm-2.45pm: Sherman Alexie's short-story collection Ten Little Indians is a treasure trove of memorable characters and one-liners. Poignant and lyrical, Alexie's stories elucidate the lives of all kinds of Americans, especially those of Spokane Indians. Poet, fiction writer, filmmaker and stand-up comedian, Alexie has collected many prestigious awards and honours.

Amber, Pearls, Peridots and Opals | 3.00pm-4.00pm: Victoria Finlay's Buried Treasure: Travels Through the Jewel Box is a fascinating and detailed account of the jewels that have bedazzled and obsessed people through the ages. The author of bestseller Colour: Travels Through the Paint Box takes the reader on a magnificent globetrotting pilgrimage from the opals of Australia to the rubies of Burma and the 'lost' emerald mines of Cleopatra in Egypt.

Beasts of No Nation | 4.15pm-5.15pm: Uzodinma Iweala was just 22 when his debut novel Beasts of No Nation was published in 2005 to worldwide critical acclaim. This deeply affecting story is told in the powerfully original voice of Agu, a young boy in an unnamed West African nation recruited into a unit of guerrilla fighters as civil war engulfs his country.

The Undercover Economist | 6.00pm-7.00pm: Who really makes money from fair trade coffee? Why is it impossible to buy a decent second hand car? Who really benefits from immigration? "Harford writes like a dream - From his book I found out why there's a Starbucks on every corner, what Bob Geldof needs to learn to make development aid work properly, and how not to get duped in an auction." David Bodanis, author of E=mc2. Tim Harford is a rising star economist and columnist for the Financial Times. Tim will be talking with Rod Oram.

The Architecture of Happiness | 7.15pm-8.15pm: Alain de Botton has the virtue of making complex matter almost airily easy to understand. His simple and graceful writing style illuminates matters which concern us all - how best to live in a confusing, noisome world. He has given us The Consolations of Philosophy, reminded us of The Art of Travel and offered us the troubling mirror image of Status Anxiety. Alain will give a visual presentation based on his latest book The Architecture of Happiness in which he considers questions of interior decoration, taste, architecture and beauty - and asks what our homes should ideally look like.

An Hour with Edmund White | 8.30pm-9.30pm: My Lives is Edmund White's latest work and a brilliantly perceptive memoir. From the 1970s onward, White has staked an area as entirely his own, ostensibly homosexual though his reach is more profound. It might be said to go to the heart of the human condition - the need for love, for sex, for fulfillment. He has chronicled an age and has arrived at the happy destination of being an international treasure. Chaired by Peter Wells.

The literary feast continues on Monday 29 May with:

The Time Traveler's Wife Talks: Audrey Niffenegger | 8.00pm-9.15pm
The Dorothy Winstone Centre, Auckland Girls' Grammar School, Howe Street, Freeman's Bay

Audrey Niffenegger is a visual artist and writer. Her international bestseller The Time Traveler's Wife is part love story, part philosophy, part science fiction, and part tragedy. Intriguing and totally original, it was voted by readers in a Random House poll as one of fifteen "future classics".

Bookings for WitSunday and The Time Traveler's Wife Talks open on 10 April at Ticketek, telephone 09 307 5000 or www.ticketek.com - details online also at www.writersfestival.co.nz

These events take place with the generous support of: the New Zealand Herald; THE EDGE ®; the New Zealand Listener; British Council New Zealand; publishers Allen & Unwin, Hachette Livre, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Books and Random House; McGovern Online; Delmaine Fine Foods, Auckland City, Karajoz Coffee Company and the Hilton Auckland.

Full Programme Details are at www.writersfestival.co.nz