Library event Southwold Literary Festival: Author Talk with Alexander Ballinger
Join us for a talk with author Alexander Ballinger, an expert on writing about cinema.
- Date
-
Sat 14 Nov 2026
- Time
- 14:00 – 15:00
- Place
-
Southwold Arts Centre, Cumberland Road, Southwold, IP18 6JP
About this event
Join us for a talk with cinema writing expert and novelist Alexander Ballinger at Southwold Arts Centre as part of Southwold Literary Festival! Alexander will be talking to us about his book about Phyllis Dalton MBE.
Tickets are £7.55 each. Tickets can be booked at Southwold Library, either in person, by phone 01502 442817 or online on TicketSource.
About Alexander Ballinger:
Alexander Ballinger has worked in the book trade for over 30 years and is an expert on writing about cinema. He was series editor of Longman's Inside Film and On Directors, wrote the acclaimed New Cinematographers, based on interviews with six of the world's top directors of photography, and co-authored Penguin's The Rough Guide to Film Noir.
Alexander's day job is managing Bailey Hill Bookshop in Castle Cary whereas his “other” job for nearly a decade was writing Phyllis Dalton A Career in Costume. His book is the result of a decade of exclusive interviews with the double Oscar-winning film costume designer, Phyllis Dalton (1925-2025).
About Phyllis Dalton: A Career in Costume:
Illustrated with a generous selection of images from Phyllis Dalton's extraordinary archive, Alexander Ballinger tells the story of Phyllis Dalton MBE, one of the most celebrated film costume designers of the 20th Century.
Expect to be entertained by recollections, insights and revelations from epic films like “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Doctor Zhivago” and “Oliver!” to Kenneth Branagh's “Henry V”, “Much Ado About Nothing” and cult classics “The Princess Bride” and “A Private Function” starring Maggie Smith and Michael Palin. Many of the book’s illustrations, sourced from Dalton’s personal archive, showcase unique ephemera, fabric swatches, production stills, large format pencil-and-watercolour sketches, and production notebooks from six decades of filmmaking.
Many of these stunning images, including Dalton’s personal on-location photographs from the “Lawrence of Arabia” shoot, have never been published before.
Southwold Literary Festival is a partnership between Southwold Library, Southwold Arts Centre and Southwold Books. All events take place at Southwold Arts Centre in St Edmund’s Hall.
Dates and times
- Time
-
14:00 – 15:00
- Sat 14 Nov 2026
Booking information
Tickets can be booked at Southwold Library, either in person, by phone 01502 442817 or by visiting the Southwold Library TicketSource page.
Tickets can also be booked at Southwold Arts Centre, either in person or by phoning 01502 722572.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
More events from Southwold Arts Centre and Southwold Library
Other upcoming events from these organisers.
Library event Crochet & Craft Club at Southwold
Stitch, knit or crochet while you chat with other crafters at this cosy group.
- Date
-
Wed 21 Oct 2026Every Wednesday
- Time
- 14:15 – 16:00
- Place
-
Southwold Library, Field Stile Road, Southwold
Library event Southwold Scrabble Club
Enjoy a fun afternoon of Scrabble games at this monthly group.
- Date
-
Thu 22 Oct 2026On the fourth Thursday of every month
- Time
- 14:15 – 15:15
- Place
-
Southwold Library, Field Stile Road, Southwold
Library event Drop-in with Norfolk & Suffolk Victim Care
Free and confidential support for anyone affected by crime.
- Date
-
Fri 23 Oct 2026Every Friday
- Time
- 10:00 – 12:00
- Place
-
Southwold Library, Field Stile Road, Southwold
Library event Mahjong Group at Southwold
Enjoy a relaxed game of Mahjong at this twice-monthly group for adults.
- Date
-
Fri 23 Oct 2026+ 39 more dates
- Time
- 14:15 – 16:15
- Place
-
Southwold Library, Field Stile Road, Southwold
Library event Harry Potter Activity Day
Magical crafts, games and more for all young Harry Potter enthusiasts.
- Date
-
Sun 25 Oct 2026
- Time
- 14:00 – 15:00
- Place
-
Southwold Library, Field Stile Road, Southwold
Library event Lego Club at Southwold
Get involved in fun creative Lego building activities.
- Date
-
Sun 25 Oct 2026Every Sunday
- Time
- 12:15 – 13:00
- Place
-
Southwold Library, Field Stile Road, Southwold
English 
Polish 
Lithuanian 
Romanian 
Portuguese 
Bengali