Letters grant us a glimpse into fascinating lives, whether through the eyes of a genius, a monster or of an ordinary person. For this archive event, we matched up award-winning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore and No 1 bestselling novelist Kate Mosse to discuss the letters of Michelangelo, Catherine the Great, Sarah Bernhardt, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Virginia Woolf, Alan Turing and more. A cast of performers including Young Vic director Kwame Kwei-Armah, plus actors Jade Anouka, Jack Lowden and Tamsin Greig provided readings live onstage.  

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