The programme has been announced for the 24^th Marina Café Noir festival, held annually in Cagliari on the Italian Island of Sardinia. It will take place over the weekend of 19-21 June.

This year’s event is entitled Changing Course – because we live in volatile times and whether we’re writers, artists, sailors, pilots, farmers or, indeed, bank robbers, there are always times when it’s wise to change trajectory!

Among the most prominent names at this year’s event are the master of noir Maurizio de Giovanni, the much-loved war correspondent Francesca Mannocchi, Pulitzer Prize winner Nathan Thrall, the Palestinian writer Adania Shibli, the young French author Mokhtar Amoudi, a rising star of contemporary European fiction, the storyteller and podcaster Chiara Tagliaferri, the unpredictable talent of Dario Ferrari, the Icelandic writer Jón Kalman Stefánsson, the refined voice of singer-songwriter Ginevra Di Marco, the unconventional pop poet Guido Catalano, the rapper Willie Peyote, the singer-songwriter Motta and the visionary musician Tonino Carotone.

To find out more about the full schedule, visit the Marina Café Noir website, here.

The programme has been shaped by Giacomo Casti, Donatella Mendolia and Francesco Scanu, who head up Cagliari’s cultural association, Chourmo. Centred on the idea of journey, drift and change – physical, linguistic, emotional and political – the Festival will once again create a space for discussion, storytelling and sharing, whilst also launching a new adventure on the shores of the Giliàcquas lagoon in Elmas.

Highlights for crime fiction lovers will include a special tribute to Agatha Christie by Emilia Agnesa, and the chance to acquaint yourself with the Italian authors Maurizio de Giovanni, Francesca Mannocchi, Chiara Tagliaferri and Dario Ferrari. Alongside noir, there will be poetry, literature, music and journalism, all within the charming setting of Giliácquas, an ancient fishing village overlooking the Santa Gilla lagoon.

There will be prize-winning writers galore, the flavours of Italy, and plenty of opportunity to discover and discuss crime fiction and any other genre that interests you in this changing world. Discover more of the guests below…