British actress Helena Bonham Carter, known for her role in the Harry Potter saga and her long collaboration with Tim Burton, became this Tuesday, November 15, the first woman to chair the London Library.
This Tuesday, November 15, 2022, actress Helena Bonham Carter, known to the general public for her role as Bellatrix Lestrange in to the saga Harry Potterand the series The Crown, became the first woman to preside over the famous London Library. Founded in 1841 by Thomas Carlyle, this establishment is an English lending library, the largest in the world, but also and above all one of the most important literary institutions in the United Kingdom.
An important cultural mission
In a press release, the actress, a member of the bookseller since 1986, spoke regarding her new position: “ I am delighted to become the first female President of the London Library and to champion an institution that is open to all. A unique place, which has inspired and supported writers for over 180 years, and many of whom have, in one way or another, influenced my own career and that of actors around the world. The actress who succeeds Sir Tim Rice as 14th president of the London Library, also said she was interested in her mission around ” emerging writers » as well as by « the expanding school program and different types of membership for those who cannot pay the full annual fee. »
More generally, as chair of the library, an honorary position, Helena Bonham Carter’s mission is “to raise funds and defend the interests of the library, which is a charitable organization receiving no regular public funding”, says the London Library.
Born out of the frustration of the British writer, satirist and historian, Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), at not being able to borrow books in London – a policy decreed by the London British Museum – the London Library came into being over 180 years. Since its creation, this institution has counted many artists and authors. Among them, Charles DickensKenneth Clark, or even the poet TS Eliot. This vast library contains works ranging from the 16th century to the present day, books that deal with fiction, philosophy as well as travel and history.
