First Hay Festival headliners announced

The first batch of novelists, academics, musicians and actors who will headline the Telegraph Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts 2011 have been confirmed.

Howard Jacobson will be in attendance at the event, which will be held from May 26th to June 6th in Hay-on-Wye, to discuss winning the 2010 Man Booker Prize with The Finkler Question.

Other writers who will participate in the festival include The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ author Philip Pullman and French Nobel prize for literature laureate Jean-Marie Le Clezio.

The Daily Telegraph highlighted the luminaries from the political world that will be present at the event, announcing: 'As well as Sarah Brown, the wife of the former prime minister Gordon Brown, speaking on motherhood and politics, the former UN weapons inspector, Nobel peace laureate and potential Egyptian presidential candidate Mohammed ElBaradei will also be speaking.'

It was also revealed that actor Simon Russell Beale will speak at the festival about the many Shakespearean roles he has played throughout his career, while music will be provided by Afro Celt Sound System and former Catatonia frontwoman Cerys Mathews.

Further attendees will be announced in February, with the full line-up to be confirmed by April.

This year, the Guardian Hay Festival saw authors such as Philip Ardagh, Bill Bryson, Alain de Botton and David Mitchell participate.