The University of Leicester is set to host an exhibition and a series of events marking the 40th anniversary of Sue Townsend's bestseller, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13¾. The university holds the original manuscripts of the novel, which was first published in the 1980s.
The events will explore the life, work, and enduring literary legacy of Townsend, who was born in Leicester and died in 2014. The launch will feature author Bali Rai, associate professor of English Emma Parker, and curator Sarah Wood discussing Townsend's impact.
Dr Parker will also lead a guided bicycle tour of Leicester on Saturday, visiting sites significant to Townsend. She described the book as 'cherished as a warm-hearted comic novel about adolescence' but noted that Townsend's writing 'deserves greater approbation for its razor-sharp satire of Thatcherism and astute working-class, feminist assessment of the changing landscape of the 1980s'.
The exhibition will run in the David Wilson Library's Exhibition Zone until 14 January. A new edition of the book, featuring a foreword by journalist Caitlin Moran, is due for release in October to commemorate the anniversary.
Townsend received an honorary degree from the university in 1991 and was named a Distinguished Honorary Fellow in 2008.
