Tense competition saw The Times team take the coveted trophy, beating rivals The Daily Telegraph in a nail-biting tie-break in English PEN’s annual fundraiser held at RIBA on Monday 19th November.
Members of the winning team, led by The Times’ Literary Editor Erica Wagner, included Editor James Harding, Ben MacIntyre, and the Rt. Hon. Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education, who answered the crucial tie-break question correctly.
The night was deftly hosted by journalist, TV presenter and comedian, Hardeep Singh Kholi.
Journalist and news anchor Jon Snow took to the stage to announce the winners of the raffle and some much coveted prizes.
Other guests included Joan Bakewell, Susie Boyt, Daisy Goodwin, Michael Gove, Charlie Higson, Tom Holland, Nick Hornby, Kate Mosse, Ferdinand Mount, Philip Norman, Richard Preston, Andrew Rawnsley, Tom Weldon and President of English PEN, Gillian Slovo.
The quiz provides essential funds to support PEN’s work defending freedom of expression, campaigning on behalf of persecuted writers worldwide and promoting literature and literacy.
Jo Glanville, Director of English PEN, said: “Remarkably this is the 11th anniversary of the PEN Quiz. It remains the flagship event for English PEN and the biggest public fundraiser of our year.”
English PEN would like to thank Hardeep Singh Kholi, Jon Snow, Marcus Berkmann and Stephen Arkell of Brainmen and Dotti Irving of Four Colman Getty.
Teams taking part included: Bob & Co, Bloomberg, Carter Ruck, Daily Telegraph, Faber & Faber, Granta/Portobello, HarperCollins, Orion, The Times, Little, Brown, London Book Fair, Penguin, Political Quarterly, Simon & Schuster, The Financial Times, The Guardian/Observer, Random House.