I don't often agree with V.S. Naipaul, writes Mrs. M, but I support his comments the other day that the Hay Festival has ‘lost its' charm' and has become a tented corporate event. And that's not all...it's 'self-congratulatory' and an 'indulgence' for the writers who participate.

When my son rang two weeks ago to say he and several friends were heading off to Hay-on-Wye for the weekend, I laughed, "Don't expect too much. When I went two years ago it was very disappointing. The event takes place in a tented village 20 minutes from Hay, and it has the look and feel of corporate entertaining."

It's sad but true that these festivals can quickly be 'hyped-up' and ‘scooped-up' by corporates with an eye on profit. In other words the festival can ‘sell out,' and when they do they lose their uniqueness and credibility. Just look at the Chelsea Flower Show, which has lost even the vaguest touch with the original concept and has become commercialism personified. Not only that, it's an endurance test dealing with crowds and the vast expanse of business stalls. Most of Chelsea's £m show gardens would suit in a municipal square or a sky scrapper forecourt.

Basically, listening to authors talk about themselves has very little to do with art anyway. Writing is not a performance art. It's the work that matters, not the author's ability to keep the attention of a crowd in a tent.

Promoters always say, "Well, at least it has people reading." Ho, Hum, does it? Or is it just a chance to rub shoulders and sell products other than books?