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Damian Barr's Literary Salon…

...is where the world’s best writers unveil their new books and reveal their own personal stories. We started at Shoreditch House in 2008 and have since hosted live events all around the world and online, including our podcast.

Want to hear Maggie O’Farrell read from Hamnet for the first time? Find out why Garth Greenwell never names his narrator? Stand at the Door of No Return with Yaa Gyasi? You’re in the right place.

The Salon is where David Nicholls launched Sweet Sorrow. It’s where Kit de Waal unveiled her memoir and Diana Athill told us all the secrets of a busy sex life in your 80s. Douglas Stuart launched Shuggie Bain with us. Andrew O’Hagan dropped printer-fresh pages from Mayflies on our stage. Tracey Thorn, Dustin Lance Black, Mary Beard, Natalie Haynes and Sathnam Sanghera have all had us on the edge of our seats. They’re all on our podcast now. We are available as in-flight entertainment on British Airways but you don’t need to get on a plane to hear us.  Listen on Megaphone, SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify or catch us over on Lit Hub Radio.

Salon is where readers and writers meet. We choose the books we feature with love and care and only interview the writers we long to know more about! From 2021, Damian is joined by Guest Hosts including Sara Collins, Alexandra Heminsley, Sam Baker, Uli Lenart and Alex Clark.

Since our first glamorous gathering at Shoreditch House in 2008, the Salon has grown from a series of events to a global community of readers and writers. We continue to pop up all around the world - from Brighton to Edinburgh, from Istanbul to New York and from Sydney to São Paulo. Since graduating from Shoreditch House, the Salon has enjoyed residencies at The Mondrian, St Pancras Hotel and The Savoy.

Our podcast features over 250 in-depth interviews and bite-size readings ranging from emerging stars to established names including works-in-progress and world premieres. Starring: Geoff Dyer, Sarah Perry, Tracey Thorn, Okechukwu Nzelu, John Waters, David Mitchell, Aminatta Forna, Polly Samson, Armistead Maupin and hundreds more…

In 2019, we brought books back to telly with the Salon-inspired Big Scottish Book Club – hosted by Damian, you can catch the latest series on BBC iPlayer.

  • "I've been on stage and in the audience and The Salon does something very special."

    Sathnam Sanghera

  • “Damian Barr’s salons have become a brilliant and bold fixture of the literary world, and have done so much to connect books, writers and readers in a relaxed, inclusive and hugely entertaining setting."

    Alex Clark

  • "Absolutely stunning reading from Shy, Max Porter’s latest, on Damian Barr’s Literary Salon podcast - just listened open mouthed. Can’t wait to read!"

    From one of our Twitter friends

  • "We love what Damian and his team deliver for writers and readers in their multi-platform, genre-busting, stardust-spangled Literary Salon, and are delighted to partner with them to amplify their work."

    Peggy Hughes, Executive Director at National Centre for Writing

  • "The best literary salon in the world."

    Patrick Gale

  • "The most enjoyable online event I’ve been to in yonks!"

    Salonista

  • "Salon is renowned for amplifying writers and their work, and we couldn’t be happier to collaborate with such a wonderful multi-platform venture that places an enthusiasm about sharing stories at its core."

    Madeleine Knowles, Editor of NB Magazine

  • "LOVE this, you guys are so much fun!"

    Typewronger Books

  • "There are few other spaces - online or off - where literature and genuine belly laughs meet with such glee, and such success."

    Alexandra Heminsley

  • "Damian Barr’s Literary Salon has become a must for anyone seeking to break a book and discover writers both old and new."

    Sam Baker

Discover all things Salon

  • Tickets & Events

    Upcoming Salon Events

    Find out what we’re up to before anybody else. Get tickets & full event info.

    Get Tickets Now
  • Listen To Our Podcast

    Listen To Our Podcasts

    Listen to our latest Book of the Week. Enjoy the latest Salon. Or dive into our Back List.

    Listen Here Now

  • We Love Indies!

    Find our latest favourite from around the world. Meet the owners & go behind the shelves at an Insta Live!

    Find Out More

  • Be the first to know

    Get the latest Salon news, event invitations, world premieres & win prizes!

    Tell Me More

Follow us on Instagram @damianbarrliterarysalon

You, better than anybody, know all about the importance of endings - good stories need good endings. We’ve all sighed through a book that went on for fifty pages too long. Or wished for just one more chapter. Endings are not easy. In life, we
This photograph was taken at our first salon of 2016. It was an epic event! Drenched in literary history, we held the Salon in The Lancaster Ballroom at the @thesavoylondon . . We were regaled by the tear-inducing Susan Calman, the mighty (and tall a
We've held three glorious Salons at the @theatreroyalbtn . In 2017 @thearmisteadmaupin talked about his memoir 'Logical Family', @nataliehaynesauthor and @wmarybeard discussed Classic Women in 2018 and @dlanceblack and @traceythorn joined us for
We're taking a trip down memory lane... all the way back to 2010 and one of the very first salons! Featuring Polly Samson, John Waters and Jonny Woo. Oh how young we all look, and of course as fabulous as ever... . . . #pollysamson #damianbarr #litsa
In January 2015 Aminatta Forna took to the stage and gave us a reading from 'The Hired Man' (and taught us how to load a gun!). She wowed us all! . This was our first Salon in the Rumpus Room at The Mondrian London (@seacontainersldn ). Our other gue
This photo was taken by @honeybunnphotog at @thesavoylondon in 2016 when we were celebrating our 8th birthday! Philippa Perry (@kevinkittycat ), Yaa Gyasi and @andrewohaganauthor all wowed us from the stage! . . . #philippaperry #savoyhotel #thesavoy
Too funny! Thank you John P Merrick for taking the official May portrait and turning it into the haunted book jacket it is destined to be. #primeminister #theresamay #cursedimagesdaily #whattoreadnext
Casting our minds back to 2015 when the Salon had a residency in the wonderful Rumpus Room at the Mondrian, London (@seacontainersldn)! . This photo was taken by @honeybunnphotog on a night when Diana Athill, @sloane_crosley and Nick Frost (@friedgol
Let’s start the week off right with a book giveaway! We have a tempting prize up for grabs with each book having appeared on our Book of The Week podcast. Our episodes offer an exclusive reading by an author whose book we admire. They are&helli
It’s ten years since Maggie & Me was published - the very week that Thatcher died! This book has taken on a life of it’s own. And it’s what lead me to write You Will Be Safe Here - the novel where I answer many of the questions
Remember when it seemed like everyone was in the queue? Or talking about why they weren’t? Writer and Salon Guest Host @alexandra.heminsley took the historical moment after the death of the Queen and wove into a novel which is out today! The