Andrea Wulf follows the people who changed how we understand nature, science and ourselves. Her histories bring journeys, friendships and arguments into the foreground. A festival conversation with her is an inviting prospect if you enjoy following a remarkable life and discovering the ideas that grew around it.
Quick facts
Best known for
The Invention of Nature and historical writing about science and ideas
Genre or subject
Biography, history, nature and the history of ideas
Latest book
The Traveller: The Revolutionary Life of George Forster and his Search for Humanity (2026), Allen Lane
Wulf writes biography, history and journalism. Her professional work includes writing for the Financial Times and the Guardian, and lectures at the Royal Society and Royal Geographical Society. She moves between the sustained narrative of a book and speaking to audiences about the people whose lives she has followed.
Her biography of Alexander von Humboldt won the Costa Biography Award for 2015 and the Royal Society Science Book Prize for 2016. Those honours sit alongside an interest in how science connects with politics, art and the everyday world. You can come to her work through a scientist, a garden or a group of friends, following the human story as the ideas unfold.
Allen Lane published her biography of George Forster in 2026. The explorer took part in Captain Cook’s second voyage and wrote about the people and societies he encountered. Wulf follows his intellectual and political life as well as his travels. That breadth gives readers of exploration a journey to follow and readers of biography a person whose convictions developed through his encounters.
Where to start with their books
The Invention of Nature
Begin here for Wulf’s biography of Alexander von Humboldt. It gives a reader who enjoys a life story a route into the relationship between a scientist’s journeys and the way people think about the natural world.
Magnificent Rebels
This history follows the group of friends who gathered around Jena in the 1790s. It is a different starting point if your interest lies in the people and exchanges behind the first Romantics and their thinking about the self.
The Founding Gardeners
Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison appear here as gardeners and farmers as well as political figures. Wulf traces how their interests in plants, agriculture and nature became part of the making of America.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
At Hay on 30 May, Wulf spoke with Misha Glenny on the Discovery Stage about The Traveller. Their conversation introduced Forster’s account of Cook’s voyage and the letters and personal accounts that helped Wulf tell his story. That is an appealing combination for anyone who likes the voyage itself and the quieter discoveries made while reading someone’s correspondence.
Her talk at Chalke followed on 27 June in the Moot Tent at Broad Chalke. Edinburgh welcomed her to the Courtyard Theatre on 17 August. The biography connected all three visits, carrying its questions about exploration, politics and humanity into a summer of history and book-festival conversations.
Where to see them next
Andrea Wulf’s 2027 diary includes talks in the United States, Denmark and Germany, plus an online event. Follow her diary for individual dates and venues. 2027 dates and event information.
Plan your trip
For a day built around Wulf, leave room beside the main talk for another history or nature event. A companion can follow the life story without having the same scientific background, so choose the person or journey that makes you both curious. Use the guide for your chosen festival to settle travel and somewhere to stay before filling the rest of the day.
If you like taking notes, jot down a question about one passage you enjoyed before leaving home. It is easier to remember what interested you when you are listening without trying to transcribe the whole conversation.
Yes. Hay was one of her three festivals that year, alongside Chalke and Edinburgh. Her event notes above describe the conversation and the historical life at its centre; the table provides the official programme links.
Which book should I read before hearing Andrea Wulf?
Start with the person or period that interests you most. The reading suggestions below range from a naturalist’s life to gardens and early Romantic ideas. One book is enough to give you a strong connection with the conversation.
Do I need a science background for her talks?
You can begin with an interest in biography, travel or history. Her books follow people through their work and relationships, so a reader’s curiosity about a life is a good starting point for listening.
How can I book a future Andrea Wulf event?
Follow the official box office from the festival guide you want to visit. Before paying, check the time and accessibility information, then leave enough space in your day to arrive without hurrying.
Can I make this part of a history weekend?
Yes: build the visit around the conversation that draws you, then browse the rest of that festival’s history programme. The guides below help with a day trip or overnight base, so the talk can anchor a wider reading break.
