Trollope Society Forthcoming Events in February–March 2026
The Trollope Society’s busy 2026 programme gets off to a great start in February and March, with a mix of events for readers near and far. Highlights include the Society’s conference in Cambridge, in‑person reading groups meeting across the country, and opportunities to read and discuss Trollope’s work together both online and face to face.
Trollope Society Conference 2026
Trollope: The Law and Transgression
Magdalene College, Cambridge | 27–28 March 2026
Registration is now open for the Society’s 2026 conference, to be held at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Trollope: The Law and Transgression will bring together readers, scholars, and Society members to examine how law, morality, and social boundaries operate across Trollope’s fiction. Themes such as property, marriage, inheritance, reputation, and moral responsibility recur powerfully in his novels and provide fertile ground for discussion.
The conference opens at 2.00pm on Friday 27 March and concludes at 2.00pm on Saturday 28 March. After lunch on Saturday, delegates may join an optional walk via the Backs to the Fitzwilliam Museum, with tea available at the museum for those who wish. A limited number of residential places remain available, alongside non-residential day delegate options.
Online Zoom Reading Group
The Bertrams BIG READ
9 February – 23 March 2026 at 8pm
From February to March, readers from around the world are invited to join the Society’s BIG READ of The Bertrams, meeting every second Monday on Zoom. This wide-ranging novel follows George Bertram and Arthur Wilkinson as their lives and ambitions intersect with those of the thoughtful Caroline Waddington, against settings that stretch from rural England to London and the Middle East.
Registration is free and only needs to be completed once for the whole series. Volunteers are also warmly invited to introduce future BIG READ sessions later in the year.
In-person Reading Groups in February and March
Northwest Reading Group – Henry Esmond
4 February at 2.00-4.00pm
Meeting on 4 February 2026 at the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Northwest Reading Group continues its tradition of pairing Trollope with other Victorian writers. This term’s reading is Henry Esmond (1852) by William Makepeace Thackeray, a reflective historical novel that offers an illuminating comparison with Trollope’s treatment of character and duty. £5, payable on the day. Non-members are welcome.
Cambridge Reading Group – The Claverings
22 February at 2.30 – 5pm
The Cambridge Reading Group meets on Sunday 22 February 2026 to discuss The Claverings (rescheduled from October 2025). Now meeting at the Meeting House, Cambridge, the group has been running for over 25 years and welcomes readers at all stages of their Trollope journey. £5, payable on the day.
London Reading Group – Nina Balatka
25 February at 6.30 – 8pm
On Wednesday 25 February 2026, the London Reading Group will meet at St Peter’s Eaton Square to discuss Nina Balatka. Set in nineteenth-century Prague, this sombre and introspective novel explores love, faith, and social division in a setting far removed from Trollope’s English fiction. Light refreshments will be served. £12.