Neil Gaiman: The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains, Barbican

Neil Gaiman is one of the world’s best-loved living writers. A tall claim, but no understatement: in recent years he’s won swathes of reader plaudits for his short fiction and graphic novels, including a prestigious Hugo Award for the 2002 novel Coraline, Book of the Year 2013 for the poignant fantasy fairytale The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and (brace yourself) 26 Eisner Awards for The Sandman - an acclaimed 8-year comic series which, fans will be delighted to hear, is due to receive a sequel this Spring .

This July, the Barbican hosts a once-in-a-lifetime live reading with Gaiman himself. But this is a literary evening with a difference. The novelette The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains – a spellbinding tale of black-hearted treasure-hunting - will be transformed into a live, multidisciplinary storytelling experience with visual accompaniment from comic artist Eric Campbell and live backing from the FourPlay String Quartet, a subversive rock/folk outfit from Sydney, Australia.

This show, which was originally commissioned for the 2010 Graphic Festival at the Sydney Opera House, will be in London for just two special dates before heading to the USA to play at New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall. Be sure to catch this one-of-a-kind show while you can – it’ll be the talk of the town for weeks.