Louis de Bernières, bestselling author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, is joining Cunard’s first literature festival at sea.
He is the latest to join a list of authors and literary experts set to sail on Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton on November 10.
Also recently added to the line-up are Robert Harris, Mark Billingham, Damian Barr and Ben Macintyre.
The event is being run in partnership with the Cheltenham Literature Festival and The Times/Sunday Times.
Other novelists confirmed to be on board the Cunard flagship for the transatlantic crossing include Sebastian Faulks and Victoria Hislop, journalist and broadcaster James Naughtie, US political satirist P.J. O’Rourke and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout.
Journalists from The Times joining the event include deputy editor Emma Tucker; fashion director Anna Murphy; leader writer and columnist Philip Collins; literary editor Robbie Millen and Sunday Times literary editor Andrew Holgate.
Cunard marketing vice president Angus Struthers said: “We are excited to welcome more acclaimed authors on board for the first transatlantic literary festival.
“The calibre of the authors is outstanding and we know our guests will enjoy both spending time with them and the immersive nature of the experience.
“It promises to be one of the most inspiring experiences for literature lovers who can indulge in their passion whilst crossing the Atlantic in luxurious surroundings.”