The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival has today announced Women’s Prize for Fiction winner Virginia Evans’ and The Correspondent as this year’s Big Read title, launching a celebration of reading ahead of the Festival taking place this Autumn (9-18 October).
Fresh from winning the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, The Correspondent, a witty, moving and deeply human novel about loneliness, connection and the power of reaching out, invites readers into a world of letters, secrets and unexpected friendships, offering the perfect shared read for this year’s Big Read campaign.
Collage featuring past Cheltenham Literature Festival events (left and bottom right) by Still Moving and Cheltenham Festivals. Image (top right) of author Virginia Evans.
Now in its second year since relaunching, The Big Read forms part of the Festival’s wider mission to bring communities together through stories and conversation, while offering a taste of what audiences can expect from this year’s Festival programme.
The announcement comes during the UK’s National Year of Reading, at a moment when reading for pleasure is facing significant challenges across the country. Recent research from The Reading Agency found that almost half of UK adults do not consider themselves ‘readers’, highlighting the growing importance of initiatives that reconnect communities through stories and conversation.
Through book drops, giveaways, reading groups and activity across Cheltenham town centre in the lead-up to October, The Big Read will invite audiences of all ages to take part in a shared reading experience designed to spark connection and discovery.
Author Virginia Evans said:
“The Correspondent is a story about joy and sorry, disappointment and love, and ultimately, like all stories, is about human connection, so I'm delighted to know readers in Cheltenham and beyond will be reading it together for The Big Read.”
Nicola Tuxworth, Head of Programming at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, said:
“The Big Read is about celebrating reading as something that brings joy, while also sparking a genuine curiosity in each other and the world around us.”
“In a particularly special year for the UK literary scene as we celebrate the National Year of Reading, we’re thrilled to champion a novel that speaks so beautifully to human connection and the importance of reaching out to one another. We can’t wait to see readers across Cheltenham join the conversation in the months ahead.”
Virginia Evans will appear at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival this October. The full Festival programme will be announced to the public on Wednesday 13 August.
