Atwood, Smith and McEwan Auction Chance to Name Characters for Torture Survivors
Margaret Atwood, Zadie Smith and Ian McEwan are auctioning the chance for readers to name characters in their next novels. The money raised is intended for survivors of torture. The Guardian reported the auction on 22 October 2026.
The auction is part of the 10th anniversary literary festival run by Freedom from Torture, an organisation that works with people who have survived torture. More than 75 authors, poets, artists and illustrators are supporting the festival. Tracy Chevalier is also taking part in the character-naming auction.
Other items on offer include original artwork by Quentin Blake and a rare book of Mary Wollstonecraft stories illustrated by William Blake. Louise Doughty is offering a visit to a book club. The festival's bookmark raffle will feature more than 30 original designs by authors, each paired with a signed copy of the book that inspired it. Contributors to the raffle include David Nicholls, Mark Haddon, Felicity Cloake, Nathan Filer, Nikesh Shukla, Sathnam Sanghera and Jeremy Vine.
A poetry competition is also part of the festival. It is centred on the experiences of torture survivors and will be judged by Alan Hollinghurst and Rachael Allen.
The festival will close with live readings at the London Library on 11 November. Four members of Write to Life, a group connected with the festival, will perform there alongside Max Porter and John Hegley.
