If you weren't at the Angel Ball, the only conceivable excuse is that you were in Belfast for the opening of the festival. The opening lecture in Elmwood Hall was delivered by Christopher Hitchins of Vanity Fair who came over from Washington for the event. Singer and writer Nick Cave was also at the opening reception and later appeared accompanied by the minute Aussie, Kylie Minogue.
Martin Amis attended last night's lecture and will give a reading tonight. He and Hitchens are best mates, Christopher acting as godfather to Martin's son.
Last night marked only the start of three weeks of festival madness which, on the literary side of the programme, will include talks by Roddy Doyle and Nick Hornby, biographer Hermione Lee and critic Michael Billington, artist Tracey Emin, and novelists E. Annie Proulx and Dermot Healy.