Barnaby Rogerson and Jason Goodwin both write about their adventures.
Mr Rogerson is director of travel publisher Eland and Mr Goodwin is the author of a series of detective thrillers set in 19th century Istanbul.
The literary festival is not until November but the pair’s talk on Thursday, May 19 at the Bull Hotel Ballroom will launch proceedings.
Festival director Tanya Bruce-Lockhart said: “Having been confined through Covid for so long, this is just what we all need, to be enchanted by exciting tales of faraway places.
“It’s a great precursor to this year’s festival, which is almost completely planned and has some wonderful events in the mix.”
Barnaby Rogerson’s talk, Celebrating the World, at 2.30pm focuses on people, places and different ways of living.
It’s the 40th anniversary of Eland Publishing, one of the few remaining small publishing houses and specialists in travel writing.
To celebrate this anniversary, Mr Rogerson will examine some of the lives of Eland’s charismatic travel writers: Gavin Maxwell, Dervla Murphy, Norman Lewis, Martha Gelhorn, Nicholas Bouvier, Winston Churchill and Peter Mayne.
Jason Goodwin’s talk at 4.30pm called Lords of the Horizons is a history of the Ottoman Empire, a book inspired by a walk that he and his now wife Kate made from Gdansk to Istanbul to explore the borderlands of Europe.
Some years later, Mr Goodwin embarked upon a series of historical detective thrillers, featuring the eunuch Yashim, set in the 1830s.
The first book in the series, The Janissary Tree, won the coveted Edgar Allen Poe Award for best novel.
It was followed by four more adventures and a cookery book, Yashim Cooks Istanbul.
Tanya Bruce-Lockhart added: “We look forward to welcoming audiences of all interests and ages to Bridlit 2022 – a true celebration for all those who read books and love literature.”
Tickets cost £25 and £20 for Friends of Bridport Literary Festival.
The price includes the two talks and tea and cakes with the authors.
Tickets are available from Bridport TIC in South Street either in person or by calling 01308 424901.
The 18th Bridport Literary Festival 2022 is scheduled for Sunday, November 6 to Saturday, November 12.
You can keep in touch with progress via bridlit.com and social media channels.
