Jonathan Freedland brings the narrative pull of a storyteller to history and journalism, while also writing thrillers as Sam Bourne. His festival conversations appeal to readers who want to spend time with a true story and the choices people made within it, away from the speed of the daily news.
Quick facts
Best known for
The Escape Artist and thrillers written as Sam Bourne
Genre or subject
Narrative history, journalism and thrillers
Latest book
The Traitors Circle: The Rebels Against the Nazis and the Spy Who Betrayed Them (2025; paperback 2026), John Murray
Freedland is a Guardian columnist and former foreign correspondent who presents the contemporary-history programme The Long View. Alongside his non-fiction he has written nine thrillers, eight under his pen name, giving readers both imagined suspense and long accounts of real lives.
His recent historical writing includes Rudolf Vrba’s escape from Auschwitz and effort to warn others. The newest book, The Traitors Circle, follows anti-Nazi dissenters and a betrayal within their group. John Murray published it in September 2025, with a paperback in June 2026. For a reader interested in resistance, the attraction lies in staying with the people and their decisions over the course of a whole narrative.
Where to start with their books
The Escape Artist
Rudolf Vrba escaped Auschwitz to tell the world what was happening there. This non-fiction account follows the escape and his effort to warn others, a starting point for readers drawn to testimony, resistance and the difficulty of making people listen.
The Traitors Circle
An anti-Nazi group is betrayed by a spy within its circle. Choose this historical account if the resistance conversations above have drawn you in, leaving time to follow the people’s decisions through the full book.
The Righteous Men
Published as Sam Bourne, this was Freedland’s first novel and became a Sunday Times number-one bestseller. It gives readers a way to meet his thriller-writing identity alongside the non-fiction, without expecting a history event to cover both forms.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
Jonathan Freedland’s 2026 programme included The Traitors Circle: The Rebels Against the Nazis and the Spy Who Betrayed Them at Oxford Literary Festival.
Where to see them next
No 2027 appearances announced yet. Check the festival guides for programme dates.
Plan your trip
For a history outing, choose one passage or decision you would like to discuss with your companion after the event. You need not agree about it: the point is to give yourselves time to return to the people in the story once the conversation has ended.
Allow a quiet gap between a session about Nazi persecution and the next item in a busy programme. If you are making the day around a single talk, check the walking route between your arrival point and the venue before choosing a tight train connection.
The 2026 programmes featured Jonathan Freedland at Oxford Literary Festival; follow those guides for event information and practical visit details.
Does Jonathan Freedland also write as Sam Bourne?
Yes. His thriller writing largely uses that pen name, while his historical books appear under his own name. Readers who first met him through crime fiction can explore the non-fiction too, or take the reverse route.
Were these events about history or his thrillers?
Use the festival links on Jonathan Freedland’s profile for the event’s own ticket and audience guidance.
How do I book a Freedland event?
Buy through the festival’s official box office, choosing the session you want before finalising travel. Ask the organiser about access needs directly, and keep a copy of the venue and booking details with your journey plan.
Do I need to finish the book before hearing him?
Reading first can make a historical conversation more personal, but hearing an author can also prompt you to begin. Take the pace that lets you think about the subject without turning a festival visit into a deadline.
