Oliver Balch, Tom Bullough

Oliver will be talking about his latest book, Under the Tump: Sketches of Real Life on the Welsh Borders, in which he describes his experience of moving from Buenos Aires to Hay-on-Wye. Written in his trademark vivid reportage style, Under the Tump paints a captivating picture of country life in the 21st century and is a timely, honest account of Balch’s attempt to put down roots in a community not yet his own.

Tom will be discussing his recently published novel Addlands, the moving and engrossing story of three generations of the Hamer family and their home, the Funnon Farm, deep in the hills of the Welsh Borders. Author Andrew Miller describes Addlands as ‘a gorgeous and painstaking evocation of the land and those who work on it. Bullough’s writing is a joy…’

Oliver and Tom will be discussing their books with Jasper Fforde, who also hails from the Welsh Borders and is the author of many successful novels including the Thursday Next, Shades of Grey and Last Dragonslayer series.

Oliver Balch is a journalist specialising in business, travel and world affairs, and was formerly a freelance correspondent in Argentina. He writes regularly for The Guardian, and his articles have also appeared in a range of international publications, including The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph and Condé Nast.

Tom Bullough has worked variously as a journalist, screenwriter, tractor driver, T-shirt salesman and Zimbabwean music promoter. For the past ten years he has lived in Breconshire, first in a remote spot in the Cambrian Mountains and now in the Brecon Beacons. He is a Visiting Fellow at the University of South Wales.