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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT FRANCES SUTTON, PRESS MANAGER: [email protected] / Tel: 0131 718 5654 / Mob: 07841 579481

The Edinburgh International Book Festival Ltd is a Scottish charity (SC010120) and a limited company (registered in Scotland no 79939) and has its registered office at 5A Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4DR.

LET�S TALK Charlotte Square Gardens Edinburgh

9 � 25 August 2014 www.edbookfest.co.uk

ADULT PROGRAMME

Wednesday 11 June 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

�LET�S TALK�

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL WELCOMES DIALOGUE

Whether it�s exploring the disappearing art of letter writing and the power of the spoken word, or listening to those

who hear inner voices or participating in a series of dialogues on the future of Scotland, the Edinburgh

International Book Festival examines all aspects of communication this summer. Under the headline �Let�s Talk�

the Book Festival welcomes internationally-renowned writers and thinkers from around the world to Charlotte

Square Gardens to discuss such diverse topics as the two world wars, the Commonwealth, Economic Migration,

Society, Identity, Culture and the Media.

Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival said �The Book Festival provides a crucial

forum for dialogue, where we can listen to and learn from one another, particularly in this year of momentous

events in Scotland. Our thought-provoking conversations with both authors and audiences will permeate through

Charlotte Square Gardens as we welcome world-renowned writers and thinkers from many countries and

cultures to Edinburgh, some for the first time in their careers. We offer a platform for emerging voices that are

set to shape the world�s literary stage in years to come and launch some of the most talked-about books of the

year.

�Whatever the outcome of the vote on 18 September, we provide a space to view the coming changes from the

wider context of the historical events that brought us to where we are today � from the Battle of Bannockburn to

the end of WWI and the British Empire, the creation of the Commonwealth, the recent economic hardships and

even last month�s European Elections.

Haruki Murakami makes his first trip to Edinburgh to launch the English edition of his latest novel Colorless

Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (which sold a million copies in Japan in the first week of publication).

Martin Amis also makes his debut in Charlotte Square Gardens to launch his new novel The Zone of Interest.

Will Self, Amy Bloom, Sarah Waters, Alan Warner, Esther Freud, John Lanchester and Nicholas Parsons will

also launch brand new books at the Festival.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams previews a new collection of his poetry, Tom Pow and

Simon Armitage also introduce new collections, and will be joined in the programme by the former US Poet

Laureate Billy Collins, the UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and the US War Poet Brian Turner.





ADULT PROGRAMME

Other best-selling authors making their debut at the Book Festival include George R R Martin and Diana

Gabaldon. The South African literary heavyweights Damon Galgut and Zakes Mda will be joined by Mpho Tutu,

Michel Laub from Brazil and Germany�s Julia Franck. Some familiar faces making a welcome return include

Bonnie Greer, Graham Swift, Jung Chang, Margaret Drabble, Richard Dawkins, Max Hastings and Lydia Davis

who makes her first visit to the UK since winning the Man Booker International Prize.

Richard Sennett, Ali Smith, Raja Shehadeh and Lauren Child have been invited to select and chair a series of

events on Turning Points for Civilisation, the power of words, the Middle East and creating believable worlds in

children�s literature respectively. Kate Adie delivers the annual Frederick Hood Memorial Lecture, Patrick Ness

delivers The Siobhan Dowd Trust Memorial Lecture, and the winners of the James Tait Black Prize and the

Edwin Morgan Poetry Award are revealed.

A series of evening debates, or Dialogues, will invite wide-ranging discussions on topics including The Union

and the implications of the referendum vote for the rest of the UK; Surveillance and The Self where Luke Harding,

author of The Snowden Files, is joined by Josh Cohen, author of The Private Life: Why We Remain in the Dark;

Energy, where Professor Susan Deacon and Richard Dixon lead a conversation on fracking; and Ageing, in

which Paul Johnson and Professor Lynne Segal ask if we can afford to grow old.

From inner monologues and imaginary friends to the demanding character voices that a novelist creates, and

from people who believe the voice they hear is an epiphany to those whose lives are taken over by multiple

voices inhabiting their consciousness, voice hearers will be the focus of a strand of events entitled

Conversations with Ourselves. Working with Durham University�s Hearing the Voice project and with the

support of the Wellcome Trust, authors and scientists will join forces to take a closer look at the medical,

historical, spiritual, anthropological and literary aspects of voice hearers in a series of talks and workshops.

An eclectic range of voices can be heard in Charlotte Square Gardens from Britain�s cutting edge Spoken Word

scene. The Babble On series of events, staged in partnership with performance poet Luke Wright and produced

by Becky Fincham, features Phill Jupitus as Porky the Poet, Elvis McGonagall, Hollie McNish and Hannah Silva,

interactive theatre makers Hannah Jane Walker and Chris Thorpe and poets William Letford and Rachel McCrum

amongst others.

Events in the Scotland�s Future strand invite leading writers and thinkers from a variety of political perspectives

to sketch out their vision of Scotland after the referendum. The Book Festival will provide a neutral forum to

facilitate broad, open-minded dialogue between authors and audience members who are keen to look forward,

past the immediate politics of the vote, and envisage the shape of things to come. Participants in the Scotland�s





ADULT PROGRAMME

Future series of events who will be looking at issues such as the arts, economy, immigration, democracy and the

future of Europe include Linda Colley, Iain Macwhirter, James Robertson, Lesley Riddoch, Tom Devine and

Henry McLeish.

The spirit of dialogue continues in an exciting new collaboration with multi award-winning Scottish theatre

company Grid Iron. The Book Festival has commissioned four internationally acclaimed writers, Kei Miller,

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Kamila Shamsie and Christos Tsiolkas, to produce brand new pieces of short fiction,

inviting them to reflect on the themes of identity and home in the form of letters. These letters have been adapted

into a promenade theatre production, Letters Home, which is supported by the Scottish Government�s Edinburgh

Festivals Expo Fund and is part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme.

The Book Festival continues to champion emerging talent and this summer 46 authors are eligible for the

Festival�s First Book Award. Amongst some familiar names introducing their first novels, including Kirsty Wark

and James Naughtie are lesser known names, best-selling authors in their own countries and languages who

are bringing the first English translation of their work including Austria�s Clemens J Setz, Brazil�s Daniel Galera

and Kuwait�s Mai Al-Nakib. Readers and Book Festival audiences can vote for their favourite online at

www.edbookfest.co.uk and at the Festival, and the winner will be announced in October.

The Baillie Gifford Children�s Programme celebrates stories in many forms � in music, song, poetry and

illustration. Best-selling, established names, including Children�s Laureate Malorie Blackman, Julia Donaldson,

Patrick Ness, Kristina Stephenson, Darren Shan and Cathy Cassidy sit alongside exciting, emerging talent

including Mackenzie Crook, Steven Camden and Sally Green. Children of all ages can enjoy stories from many

vibrant nations, including Ethiopia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland, on a wealth of subjects from

Vikings to WWI, witches to fairies and robots to spacemen.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival welcomes over 900 participants from 47 different countries to

Charlotte Square Gardens this summer, and runs from Saturday 9 to Monday 25 August 2014. Full details of

the programme can be found at www.edbookfest.co.uk. Tickets to all events go on sale on Tuesday 24 June

2014 online at www.edbookfest.co.uk, by phone on 0845 373 5888 or in person at the Box Office at the

Roxburghe Hotel on George Street (on Tuesday 24 June only, thereafter at The Hub, Castlehill).

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Editors Note:

The Cultural Programme is a partnership between the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, Glasgow Life, and Creative Scotland through National Lottery funding.



Charlotte Square Gardens Edinburgh

9 25 August 2014 www.edbookfest.co.uk

ADDITIONAL ADULT

PROGRAMME

HIGHLIGHTS

In partnership with writer Louise Welsh and architect Jude Barber, The Empire Cafe

explores imperialist past and the surprising cultural legacies that continue to

affect our lives today. With participants from British Guyana, South Africa, India, Canada,

New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Barbados, and Jamaica, the strand includes a

The Lamplighter, presented in association with

The Tron Theatre, Glasgow.

Comedians looking back at their life and careers include Francesca Martinez and Omid

Djalili while Katy Brand and Mark Watson discuss their new novels, and Kevin Eldon

brings his alter ego, poet Paul Hamilton.

Stripped, the popular graphic novel and comic strand, returns with the launch of

IDP:2043 a brand new graphic novel commissioned by the Book Festival and published

by Freight. A stellar cast of contributors, including Barroux, Hannah Berry, Pat Mills, Mary

Talbot and Irvine Welsh, together with story editor Denise Mina, lay out a stunning and

unsettling vision of Scotland in 2043.

Rolf and Cilla Börjland discuss

transferring their work onto screen, Arne Dahl presents his third novel translated into

writing sensation Gunnar Staalesen talks about his latest thriller, Cold Hearts.

Reading Workshops, a second series

returns. Stuart Kelly examines Moby Dick, Marcus Sedgwick explores Gormenghast,

Andrew Biswell takes a look at A Clockwork Orange and Debi Gliori celebrates the work

of Tove Jansson on the 100th anniversary of her birth.

Musician and journalist Zoë Howe looks back at the story of The Jesus and Mary Chain

and Viv Albertine remembers her punk career with The Slits in the 70s and early 80s,

Gruff Rhys, lead singer with Super Furry Animals brings his memoir and travelogue,

American Interior. Julian Cope, of 80s sensation The Teardrop Explodes, discusses his

gnostic whodunit novel One Three One, and Willy Vlautin joins us from the USA with his

new novel, The Free.

The National Conversation

Centre Norwich. Launching the debate in Edinburgh

Michael Rosen argues why books are intrinsic to our survival as human beings and why,

for a nation to thrive, it is essential that literacy and reading are placed at the heart of our

society.

Jura Unbound, the eclectic, funny, surprising, free, live literature evenings in the Guardian Spiegeltent return offering words, music, magic and more. The full programme of Jura Unbound, which takes place every night from 10 to 25 August, will be unveiled in July.

Nicola Barker Romesh Gunesekera Tony Parsons Young-ha Kim Alexander Kluge Hamid Ismailov Naomi Wood Xiaolu Guo Irving Finkel Alain de Botton Karl Ove Knausgaard Linda Grant Andrew Greig Zia Haider Rahman Peter Buwalda Holly Baxter Rhiannon Cosslett John Gordon Sinclair William McIlvanney Robyn Young Ann Cleeves

Herman Koch Ramita Navai Deyan Sudjic Paul Muldoon Irma Kurtz Julian Baggini William Fotheringham A L Kennedy Max Egremont Germaine Greer Neel Mukherjee James Rhodes Paddy Ashdown Roy Hattersley Gillian Beer Frank Gardner Jeremy Paxman Sarah Paretsky David Peace Bernardo Atxaga Masha Gessen Cyprian Broodbank Rory Stewart Val McDermid Lynn Barber Sebastian Barry And many more . . . . .





BAILLIE GIFFORD

PROGRAMME

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday 11 JUNE 2014

STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD IN

THE BAILLIE GIFFORD

Baillie Gifford this year offers stories in

all forms and for all ages from babies to young adults, and everyone in between. There are stories from

many vibrant nations including Ethiopia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland and from bestselling,

established names alongside exciting and emerging talent. There are stories on a wealth of subjects from

Vikings to the First World War, witches to fairies and robots to spacemen.

celebrating inspiring picture books for toddlers or dystopian fiction for teens, or engaging young people

through our acclaimed schools and outreach programmes, we believe that books and stories are essential

for children and young adults to understand and respond to the complexities of our world.

Gardens with her latest book The Flying Bath.

Carrie and David Grant from hit CBeebies show Popshop are back with another foot-stomping event and

actor Mackenzie Crook brings his new book The Lost Journals of Benjamin Tooth. Indie singer/songwriter

Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap makes his Book Festival debut with The Lavender Blue Dress while Queen of

Teen author Maureen Johnson flies in from New York to talk about the creation of her vivid alternative world.

There has been rise in popularity of modern Gothic fantasy novels for children and young adults and Gill

Arbuthnot, Eleanor Hawken, Cathy MacPhail, Roy Gill, Barry Hutchinson, Piers Torday, Curtis Jobling and

Darren Shan will immerse audiences in their fantastical, and sometimes gruesome, worlds. Among the ranks

of exciting emerging talent in the programme audiences will find fantasy and thriller writers Sally Green, 19

year old Lucy Saxon, Emma Haughton and Rupert Wallis.

Award-winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce drives Chitty into the 21st century with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Over the Moon, his daring third sequel to l Rosen will be popping by to

celebrate and Macastory presents a

song-filled retelling of the Battle of Bannockburn.





BAILLIE GIFFORD

PROGRAMME

Lauren Child, creator of Charlie and Lola Guest Selector and will be speaking to Judith Kerr,

beloved author of The Tiger Who Came to Tea about childhood memory and imagination and how it has

played into their own creativity. The 2014 Book Festival Illustrator in Residence is James Mayhew, creator

of the popular and Ella Bella Ballerina. Mayhew is joined by a number of other

illustrators, hoping to inspire young audience members to create characters of their own, including Ed Vere

with Max the Kitten, Petr and Axel Scheffler, famed for his illustrations of The Gruffalo.

2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the French writer and illustrator Barroux is

joined by Michael Morpurgo to discuss his new graphic novel, Line of Fire, based on the diary of a French

soldier while father and son writing duo Tom and Tony Bradman tell Stories of War. Following his bestselling

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne returns with a moving story of a boy s search for his missing father

in Stay Where You Are Then Leave. Mark Greenwood and Frané Lessac tell the story of an Australian

soldier and his horse in a touching account of one of the last great cavalry charges in history.

Siobhan Dowd, an award-winning author, died in 2007 and bequeathed her royalties to a trust with the aim

of bringing the joy of reading for those who need it most. The Book Festival is honoured to host the inaugural

Siobhan Dowd Trust Memorial Lecture, which will be delivered by acclaimed novelist Patrick Ness. His

novel, A Monster Calls, based on an idea of S .

Noble Conflict, her latest political novel for teenagers.

Shrewd insights into the highlights, pitfalls and vulnerabilities of life as a teenager are also covered by

authors Melvin Burgess, Matthew Quick, Cat Clarke, Jennifer E Smith and David Levithan who explores the

true tale of two boys and their record-breaking attempt at the longest kiss in Two Boys Kissing.

Inspirational education activist and Pakistani school pupil Malala Yousafzai makes a rare public appearance

at the Book Festival in the Baillie Gifford Schools Programme giving pupils in Scotland the opportunity to hear

first-hand about her life and her campaign for education. There are over 60 events in the Baillie Gifford

Schools Programme, which not only brings school parties into Charlotte Square Gardens in August but also

takes authors out to schools across Scotland to interact with students.

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For further information please contact: Frances Sutton, Press Manager 07841 579481 or [email protected]





ADDITIONAL

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

New for 2014, part of the Book Festival Outreach activities, is the Writer in Residence

project created in collaboration with Lyra Theatre, a community based theatre in

Craigmillar, Edinburgh. For six months, author and artist Catherine Rayner is working

with pupils in St Francis Primary School to create their very own book. The Big Book of

Dreams will compile the stories and illustrations by P1 (age 5) and P6 (age 10) pupils.

The project links in with the work that the school undertakes to help vunerable children

gain access to books and establish a sound bedtime routine.

Award-winning comedian brings his first book Danger is Everywhere:

A Handbook for Avoiding Danger to Charlotte Square Gardens

star and actor Craig Pomranz presents his charming debut Made by Raffi. Actor

Mackenzie Crook pops in with his first two books, The Windvale Sprites and The Lost

Journals of Benjamin Tooth.

Stripped, the popular graphic novel and comic strand, returns with a series of events for

children and young adults, including the launch of IDP:2043 a brand new graphic novel

commissioned by the Book Festival, the Phoenix Comic Workshop and French author

and illustrator Barroux who speaks about his remarkable WWI graphic novel, Line of Fire.

Norse fact meets fiction when Irving Finkel from the British Museum joins popular

novelist Francesca Simon for some Viking adventures.

-plenty in the gardens. F Anthony

Browne brings a 30th anniversary edition of his well-loved picture book Gorilla. Hugless

Douglas visits with creator David Melling and Babette Cole introduces her fantastic new

picture book The Wildest West Country Tale of James Rabbit and the Giggleberries, a

hilarious look at animal characters inspired by Beatrix Potter.

For older children, author of the bestselling H.I.V.E series Mark Walden discusses his

latest sci-fi blockbuster Earthfall: Retribution and acclaimed author Joan Lingard, brings

her latest Trouble on Cable Street, which explores the rise in fascism across Europe.

A successful Scottish Commonwealth Games athlete of the last century is celebrated in

a special event by Macastory when they tell the story of Donald Dinnie. In a career

spanning 50 years and 11,000 competitions Donald Dinnie excelled in everything from

sprinting to pole vaulting, hammer throwing to caber tossing.

Every day there are free events for younger readers from the rhyming, reading and

singing Totseat s Are you Sitting Comfortably? to Bookbug and even Big Draws! The

Book Festival will host free crafting and art sessions throughout the festival.

Robert Muchamore Nicola Morgan Steve Cole Jacqueline Wilson Michael Morpurgo Gill Arbuthnott

Nick Sharratt Debi Gliori James Robertson Cathy Cassidy Martin Brown Charlie Fletcher Linda Strachan Anne Cassidy Rachel Hazell Tracey Corderoy David Roberts Chris Bradford Philip Ardagh Tommy Donbavand Faye Bird Elizabeth Wein Chris Riddell Jonathan Meres Cendrine Wolf Anne Plichota Emer Stamp Ruth Warburton Alasdair Hutton Jane Ray Wendy Meddour Adam Murphy David Long Jenny Robertson Kristina Stephenson Liz Pichon Marianne Levy Edward Carey Alan MacDonald Keiron Pim Tom Palmer Kylie Dunstan Moira Young Lydia Monks Marcus Sedgwick Matt Haig Sophie McKenzie





CONVERSATIONS

WITH OURSELVES

In , and with the support of the Wellcome

Trust, we present a series of events examining the medical, spiritual and literary aspects of hearing voices.

Too often viewed as a sign of psychological illness, Conversations with Ourselves places voice hearing

in a broader context, exploring the effects of inner monologues, imaginary childhood friends and the

demands character voices place on a novelist. As a highlight we present a specially commissioned

evening of stories from The Moth, the internationally-acclaimed storytelling organisation from New York.

NATHAN FILER & STEWART FOSTER 9 August 10:15 Voices from Within

, our exploration of inner voices, we welcome two authors who

The Shock of the Fall announced the arrival of a new literary

We Used to Be Kings is a dramatic and innovative debut novel featuring 18 year old Tom and his long-dead brother Jack. THE VOICES IN OUR HEAD 9 August 17:00 Creating Characters in Fiction The first sign that a book works is when the characters talk back to their author, and books can represent our internal voices unlike any other artform. A panel of award-winning novelists, Nathan Filer, Edward Carey and Matthew Quick talk about their relationships with their characters and their inner voices, exploring how a writer hears and channels the creative voice that drives a narrative or character. PATRICIA WAUGH ON BEYOND BLACK 10 August 13:00 Our reading workshops take a close look at a classic text, literary star or genre. Literary critic and English professor Patricia Waugh discusses Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel, which tells the story of a psychic, Alison, who lives with the incessantly clamouring voices of both the living and the dead. Expect an open discussion from the start: you can either explore the work ahead of the event or be inspired to read it afterwards. BEST (IMAGINARY) FRIENDS FOREVER 15 August 17:00 The Psychology of Childhood Remarkably, statistics show that childhood imaginary friends stay with people throughout their lives. Why do youngsters need these friends and where do they go when children grow up? Pip Jones, the author of Squishy McFluff, and Michael Marshall Smith, who has written We Are Here, reflect on the world of imaginary friends with child psychologist and novelist, Charles Fernyhough.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE 17 August 16:00 First Steps to Coping with Teenage Stress An established authority on the teenage brain, Nicola Morgan has now written The Teenage Guide to Stress. Dawn McNiff Little Celeste follows an 11 year old who finds herself with a baby only she can see. In Donna Cooner Skinny, an overweight teenager hears a vicious and undermining voice. Together these authors discuss how stress can turn into psychosis, and why talking to someone is a vital first step to coping. MAKING MEANING OF THE VOICES 18 August 17:00 Living Happily Hearing Voices People with severe mental health issues are often stigmatized by society. Eleanor Longden, a voice hearer and a qualified psychologist joins James Ley, a playwright who explores his bi-polar disorder in his writing, and Robin Murray, professor of psychiatric

Angela Woods, a lecturer in Medical Humanities. HAS PSYCHIATRY SILENCED GOD? 22 August 14:00 Creativity and Belief Throughout history, divine intervention has influenced great artists, thinkers and leaders, and the voice of God is a distinct and separate presence in the minds of many people today. Author and former Bishop of Edinburgh, Richard Holloway, leads a discussion with writer Sara Maitland and psychiatrist and theologian Chris Cook to explore how religious beliefs and creative inspiration define our consciousness. THE MOTH 23 August 20:00 True Stories Told Live The Moth, the legendary US storytelling organisation, has created a special one-off evening of stories inspired by Conversations with Ourselves. Join an eclectic cast of storytellers from around the world and all walks of life for a uniquely intimate evening of tall tales and surprises. Hosted by Scottish writer and comedian, Lynn Ferguson.





FUTURE

Leading writers and thinkers from a variety of political perspectives sketch out their vision

Future provides a neutral platform for open-minded dialogue between authors and audience members keen to envisage the shape of things to come:

IAIN MACWHIRTER 9 August 15:00 After the Referendum Macwhirter argues that after the poll constitutional change is inevitable. Where will negotiations between Holyrood and Westminster start, and how are they likely to end? DIALOGUE 1: COMMONWEALTH 10 August 19:00 A Relic of the Empire or an Inspiration for Scotland? Scottish novelist Louise Welsh, Indian writer Meena Kandasamy and Jamaican-born Geoff Palmer ask how the Commonwealth can inform a post-referendum Scotland.

ALEXANDER MOFFAT & ALAN RIACH 12 August 11:00 The Referendum Debate Could Have Been Different Alexander Moffat and poet Alan Riach discuss how the

fuel broader discussion about the future. ROBERT CRAWFORD & PAUL HENDERSON SCOTT The Writers Who Seek Independence 12 August 12:30

Bannockburns traces the literary history of independence and Henderson Scott discusses the cultural and political road in Scotland: A Creative Past, An Independent Future. DIALOGUE 2: THE UNION 12 August 19:00 What Will the Referendum Mean for the Rest of the UK? Can the United Kingdom ever be the same again? Economist Jo Armstrong and Dick Cole, leader of the Cornish devolutionist party Mebyon Kernow, predict what the post-referendum future holds. ADRIAN WOOLDRIDGE WITH ALLAN LITTLE 13 August 11:30 Can Scotland Learn from Scandinavia? With the UK potentially on the cusp of major constitutional change, Wooldridge offers a timely insight into how we can get government right.

GERRY HASSAN & LESLEY RIDDOCH 13 August 15:30 Can Scotland Be Future-Proofed?

Caledonian Dreaming questions some of the Blossom

wonders if swapping a London elite for an Edinburgh one will make much difference to the lives of Scots. DIALOGUE 3: HEALTH 13 August 19:00 Can Scotland Kick its Sugar Habit? Food writer Alex Renton joins Annie Anderson, a professor of public health nutrition to discuss solutions

addiction. DIALOGUE 4: AGEING 14 August 19:00 Can We Afford to Grow Old? How can Britain make the most of its ageing population? Susan Deacon chairs a discussion with Lynne Segal and Paul Johnson, director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies.

LINDA COLLEY 15 August 14:00 The Reinvention of Britain In Acts of Union and Disunion, Colley explores the forces that brought the United Kingdom together and asks what may be driving it apart. TOM DEVINE 15 August 18:30 The Darien Disaster: New Perspectives The failure to establish a Scottish colony on the Isthmus of Panama has long been viewed as incompetent. Tom Devine takes issue with this old orthodoxy and presents a revised telling.

DIALOGUE 5: IDENTITY 15 August 19:00 What Does National Identity Mean in the Digital Age? Scotland-based writer Meaghan Delahunt and New Zealander Witi Ihimaera join Alan Riach to debate what does local, and national, identity look like for people who have moved away. JIM GALLAGHER, GUY LODGE & IAIN MCLEAN

16 August 11:00 Post-referendum, the ties that bind Scotland to the UK will be loosened. An analysis of the options are offered in Choices, by three senior political experts. HENRY MCLEISH & DAVID TORRANCE Yes or No, What Next? 16 August 16:30

The Common Good calls for a new progressive democratic process, while writer and broadcaster David Torrance argues for a new union in Britain Rebooted.





FUTURE

DIALOGUE 6: INTERNATIONAL 16 August 19:00 Will Scottish Independence Affect the Rest of Europe? How will European citizens react to the referendum result? Henry McLeish and Slovenian writer Miha Mazzini are chaired by Nicola McEwen. DIALOGUE 7: SOCIETY 17 August 19:00 How Can We Reduce Inequality in Scotland? The SNP argues that independence can create a

Melissa Benn, author Gerry Hassan discuss with chair Professor Susan Deacon. JAMES ROBERTSON 18 August 11:30 What Kind of Scotland Do We Imagine? James Robertson and Allan Massie open up an imaginative conversation about the future of Scotland. DIALOGUE 8: ECONOMIC MIGRATION 18 August 19:00 How Will More Economic Migration Affect Scotland? Debating the benefits and pitfalls of welcoming migrant workers are Susheila Nasta, author of Asian Britain and Karen Campbell, whose novel is about a refugee in Glasgow, chaired by Lesley Riddoch. DIALOGUE 9: SURVEILLANCE AND THE SELF 19 August 19:00 Privacy and Society: Has the State Lost Control? Do we need to rethink what privacy means and, how can we balance that with the preservation of society? Luke Harding and Josh Cohen discuss. DIALOGUE 10: MEDIA 20 August 19:00 How Can We Maintain Democratic Dialogue? Newspaper circulations are falling. With the shift to online activity still far from a profitable how can we create a viable forum for intelligent discussion? Ruth Wishart chairs the debate with journalists Iain Macwhirter, Niki Seth-Smith and Stephen Khan.

GAVIN MCCRONE & JIM SILLARS 21 August 15:30 Scotland After September McCrone and Sillars argue that the referendum should not be feared but is an opportunity to rethink Scotland. WRITING THE FUTURE 21 August 18:45 Being a Writer After the Referendum What will a Yes or a No vote mean to writers living and working in Scotland? Examining the situation are publisher Hugh Andrew, author Alan Bissett, director of British Council Norway Sarah Prosser, and writer Lesley Riddoch.

DIALOGUE 11: WAR 21 August 19:00 Does Modern Warfare Call for New Defence Solutions? The British Government listed a hostile attack on UK

the same risk set for terrorist attacks. Chris Johnson chairs a discussion with professors David Galbreath and Paul Cornish on how Britain can defend itself in the digital age. DIALOGUE 12: ENERGY 22 August 19:00 Do We Need Fracking to Keep the Lights On? Some say that fracking is a better bet for future energy than North Sea oil. Professor Susan Deacon chairs a discussion with Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland.

MURRAY PITTOCK & CHRISTOPHER A WHATLEY 23 August 15:30 Nationalism and Unionism: the Background Pittock explores the rise of nationalism within Scotland in The Road to Independence? Meanwhile Whatley traces the story of the Scottish-English union in The Scots and the Union.

DIALOGUE 13: EMPIRE 23 August 19:00 End of the British Empire Links to Scottish Nationalism? Has the crumbling of the Empire made the Union a less attractive proposition? The debate panel includes Linda Colley, author of Acts of Union and Disunion, and award-winning historian Tom Devine. RODERICK BUCHANAN 24 August 11:00 The Legacy of Thomas Muir Buchanan explores the political reform movement that thrived in Scotland during the 1790s, in particular the influence of Thomas Muir. Buchanan is joined by Johnny Rodger.

DIALOGUE 14: CULTURE 24 August 19:00 Are the Arts in Scotland Radical Enough?

output lost its revolutionary zeal? Actress Dolina MacLennan, theatre writer David Greig and former Barbican Centre boss John Tusa fan the flames of

DIALOGUE 15: ECONOMY 25 August 19:00

Affected By Our Vote? Currency, pensions, interest rates, tax: what are the key economic levers to take into account when voting? Economic experts Jo Armstrong and Ronald Macdonald attempt to shed some light on the topic.





FIRST BOOK AWARD

The First Book Award celebrates the novels, novellas and short stories from the 46 writers who will showcase their debut book (or first book translated into English) at the 2014 Book Festival. The Award encourages audiences to read and vote for their favourite. NATHAN FILER & STEWART FOSTER 9 August 10:15

The Shock of the Fall announced the arrival of a We Used to Be Kings is a

dramatic and innovative debut novel. RUPERT WALLIS 9 August 15:30 Wallis has written a novel with a dark heart: The Dark Inside is unsettling and ambiguous. Meet an assured new voice for Young Adults. TOM ELLEN & LUCY IVISON 9 August 17:00 Ellen and Ivison, co-authors of Lobsters, offer shrewd insights into the highlights, pitfalls and vulnerabilities of life as a teenager. C A DAVIDS 9 August 20:30 Davids presents The Blacks of Cape Town, an astonishingly assured debut novel that traces one

diamond mine to contemporary South Africa. MEENA KANDASAMY 10 August 14:00 Rising Indian star Kandasamy retells the alarming story of farm workers burned to death in Tamil Nadu in her debut novel Gypsy Goddess. COLIN BARRETT & ANNELIESE MACKINTOSH

10 August 15:30 Major new Irish talent Barrett and renowned live-lit performer Mackintosh deliver short story collections which justify the praise each has already received. ANNE BLANKMAN & AUDREY MAGEE 10 August 19:00

Prisoner of Night and Fog and The Undertaking take us deep into 1930s and

40s Nazi Germany as ordinary people begin to question the lies they have been told. KIRSTY WARK 10 August 20:00

The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle tells of two women whose experiences highlight a century of change in the west of Scotland.

KATE TOUGH 11 August 20:30 Head For The Edge, Keep

Walking offers a vivid and frank portrayal of a young 21st century women. PETER BUWALDA & ZIA HAIDER RAHMAN

11 August 15:30 In Bonita Avenue, Dutch author Buwalda pens a black

In the Light Of What We Know, involves a pair of long-lost friends. EMMA HEALEY 12 August 15:30

Elizabeth is Missing is a gripping psychological thriller about an 81 year old woman

MAI AL-NAKIB 12 August 19:00 Kuwaiti author Al-Nakib is a thrilling new voice from the Middle East. Her debut short story collection The Hidden Light of Objects offers a stunning perspective on lives overwhelmed by military or religious events. ANNA WHITWHAM 13 August 15:30

assured debut Boxer Handsome paints a picture of the dress codes, language and myths that surround the all-encompassing world of the Clapton Bow Boys boxing club. NICOLA WHITE 13 August 18:45 I In the Rosary Garden, the discovery of a murdered newborn is linked to another recently-uncovered infanticide. EIMEAR MCBRIDE 14 August 15:30 There has been an extraordinary buzz around Eimear

innovative debut, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing which has just won the Baileys Prize for Fiction. JAMES NAUGHTIE 14 August 18:30 Spy thriller The Madness of July marks debut and covers loyalty, survival and family rivalry during the 1970s. VICTORIA HENDRY 15 August 15:30

A Capital Union, taps into the independence debate as newly-wed Agnes becomes embroiled in the Scottish nationalist politics of 1942. KATY BRAND 15 August 20:00 In Brenda Monk is Funny, Brand delivers a dark, hilarious and candid snapshot of the reality, brutality and fragility of comedy.





FIRST BOOK AWARD

DEA BRØVIG 16 August 10:15 The Last Boat Home, conjures up dark

mysteries within a home on the windswept southern coast of Norway. DONNA COONER 16 August 17:00 Coon Skinny tackles the pressure teenagers are under today to look and behave a certain way and navigate the politics of friendship and enemies.

SALLY GREEN 17 August 17:00 Green, author of Half Bad, the first book in a new trilogy billed as Twilight meets Hunger Games, discusses writing about all things supernatural. MICHEL LAUB 17 August 18:45

Diary of the Fall has won major prizes in Brazil. This story of love between father and son is gorgeous and heartbreaking. JESSIE BURTON 18 August 15:30 Burton discusses The Miniaturist, her cutting edge historical novel set in the Dutch Golden Age. EMMA HAUGHTON 19 August 19:00

Now You See Me, is inspired by the story of 13 year old Nicholas Barclay who disappeared,

imposter. MICHÈLE FORBES 18 August 20:30 Ghost Moth is set in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s and follows an ordinary couple living through troubled times. MICHAEL PITRE 19 August 20:30 Himself a veteran of the Iraq war, Pitre has turned to fiction and written Fives and Twenty-Fives, a defining novel of the post-Iraq era. DANIEL GALERA 20 August 10:15 A novel from one of the most promising authors from

Blood-Drenched Beard features murder and suicide as a son attempts to discover why he has lost his loved ones. LUKE BROWN 20 August 18:45

My Biggest Lie, tells of one man whose inability to be truthful gets him into all sorts of bother. ROSIE ROWELL 20 August 19:00 The recent history of South Africa is the driving force behind this new work as Rowell discusses her novel Leopold Blue.

NATALIE HAYNES 21 August 10:15 Set in Edinburgh, The Amber Fury is a handsomely structured psychological mystery and vividly portrays the dark side of human relationships. KIRSTY LOGAN 21 August 14:00 Logan presents her scintillating short story collection of modern myths and fairytales, The Rental Heart. STEVEN CAMDEN 21 August 18:30 Camden Tape is a wonderful tale of love and loss, of coming of age and friendship, sprinkled with a gentle hint of whimsy. MASON CROSS 21 August 19:00

The Killing Season, and a

new kind of investigator. CLEMENS J SETZ 22 August 10:15 Setz presents Indigo, which takes readers to an uncanny near future. S E LISTER 22 August 17:00

Hideous Creatures son as he goes on the run and finds himself on a slave ship heading for the New World. REBECCA MASCULL 23 August 15:30

The Visitors, a girl who is both deaf and blind communicates only to the ghosts inside her mind until a new friend helps open up the world to her. NINA STIBBE 24 August 10:15

Man at the Helm, is a story about three children and their attractive divorced mother. Is it autobiographical? LAUREN OWEN 24 August 15:30 Owen gives us her gloriously atmospheric debut novel, The Quick, a vampire tale set in Victorian England. E O HIGGINS 25 August 10:15

Conversations with Spirits envisages a feckless character enlisted by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to help investigate a psychic medium. FAYE BIRD & ALEXIA CASALE 25 August 17:00 Both My Second Life The Bone Dragon lead the reader right into the main charachearts of darkness, as each struggles to make sense of past trauma and find ways to move forward.





BOOKS

PUBLISHED IN

JULY

JULIA DONALDSON 9 August 10:00

Join the wonderful Donaldson and her merry band as they perform your favourite picture books including her latest, The Flying Bath. SUE LAWRENCE 9 August 12:00 The author of Scottish Baking explores the influence of

ROMESH GUNESEKERA 9 August 15:30

, Noontide Toll, offer highly personal perspectives on the civil war that plagued Sri Lanka. LAUREN BEUKES 9 August 20:30

scene, Beukes returns with a smart, topical, thriller, Broken Monsters. LINDA GRANT 11 August 12:00 Grant presents Upstairs at the Party in which an androgynous couple arrive at a university campus in the early 1970s and challen HERMAN KOCH 11 August 19:00 Koch invites us to a Summer House with Swimming Pool, where a doctor has just lost a superstar patient and is accused by the widow of murder. GRAHAM SWIFT 12 August 16:30 With a characteristically sharp eye for comedy, England and Other Stories homes in on intimate personal dramas and Swift paints an intriguing portrait of England now. MARK WATSON 13 August 18:30

a novel: with Hotel Alpha entertaining add-on. ROBERT CRAWFORD 14 August 10:15 Crawford reads from Testament, his first collection in six years. MONIQUE ROFFEY 15 August 10:15

House of Ashes portrays a Caribbean coup outstanding, compelling, necessary novel.

KARIN ALTENBERG 16 August 10:15

Breaking Light is set in 1950s Devon and features friends trying to offset the terror of bullies and the trauma of family secrets. JESSIE BURTON 18 August 15:30 Burton discusses The Miniaturist, her cutting edge historical novel set in the Dutch Golden Age.

NICOLA MORGAN 18 August 19:00 The Teenage Guide to Stress looks at issues including sexual bullying, body image and conformity. JOHN BOYNE 20 August 17:00 Boyne has written Stay Where You Are Then Leave, a

during the First World War. PETER ROBINSON 21 August 20:30 Abattoir Blues is the latest edition of this crime writing

-thumping thriller with an infuriatingly good plot. MITCHELL SYMONS 22 August 15:00 Symons presents Happily Never After, a wickedly funny modern take on Hilaire Cautionary Verses. DOUGLAS NEWTON 22 August 17:00

The Darkest Days presents an examination of

in 1914. DOMINIQUE MANOTTI 22 August 18:45 In Escape, bestselling French author Manotti details two Italian prisoners who break out of jail. One assumes a new identity as a bestselling crime writer. RUTH PADEL 23 August 10:15 Pattern and harmony, even amidst destruction, is at the heart of Learning to Make an Oud in Nazarethfirst complete collection of poetry for a decade. LAURIE CAMPBELL 23 August 11:00 Campbell photos in Otters: Return to the River reveal and celebrate the magnificent contribution made by otters to our countryside. MICHAEL MORPURGO 23 August 13:30 Morpurgo has edited Only Remembered, a timeless and seminal anthology of WWI literature for children. NATALIE YOUNG 24 August 17:00 Season to Taste or How to Eat Your Husband looks at western obsessions with food. GREG BAXTER 24 August 19:00

Munich Airport explores hopes and fears in the minds of everyday Americans. Should we reach for the stars or find the extraordinary in the everyday? KERRY HUDSON 25 August 15:30 Fearsomely-talented Scottish author Hudson presents Thirst, the gorgeous story of a life-affirming love affair that crosses borders both linguistic and cultural.





AUGUST LAUNCHES

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is always a key occasion to catch major books in

before they are published. Some of the books getting their first outing include:

JOAN LINGARD 9 August 12:00 Trouble on Cable Street explores the rise of fascism across Europe and the direct impact on one family. DAVID EIMER 9 August 12:30 China borders 14 countries and much of what we know is misrepresented. The Emperor Far Away, uncovers something closer to the truth. MATILDA TRISTRAM 9 August 14:00 In a tender and uplifting manner the graphic memoir Probably Nothing handles the complex subject of a pregnancy becoming a nightmare. ALASDAIR HUTTON 11 August 10:30 The Tattoo Fox enjoys further adventures with her friend Castle Cat in The Tattoo Fox Makes Friends. TORE RENBERG 11 August 19:00 See You Tomorrow is an eerie neo-noir Norwegian novel of horror, hope and heavy metal music.

12 August 10:00 What should you do if a shark comes out of the loo? The comedian has the answer in Danger Is Everywhere: A Handbook for Avoiding Danger. JEAN FINDLAY 13 August 16:00 Written by his great-great-niece Jean Findlay, Chasing Lost Time is the first biography of C K Scott Moncrieff. CAROLINE MOOREHEAD 13 August 19:00 Moorhead returns to WWII with Village of Secrets, a tale of courageous villagers in the mountainous Ardeche. JAMES BOOTH 14 August 10:30 Analysing the towering literary figure of Philip Larkin,

Philip Larkin. LIN ANDERSON 14 August 20:30 A mysterious voice from the past is the starting point

Paths of the Dead, where a woman is haunted by the voice of her dead son.

VICTORIA HENDRY 15 August 15:30

A Capital Union, taps into the independence debate as a newly-wed is embroiled with the Scottish nationalist politics of 1942. MICHAEL LONGLEY 15 August 19:00 Poems on the death of his twin brother and the Great

The Stairwell. MARK WALDEN 16 August 14:00 In Earthfall: Retribution Sam and his friends travel to Tokyo to continue their fight to stop the construction of Voidborn drilling devices. KEVIN ELDON 16 August 21:30 Comedy actor Kevin Eldon, tells the story of fictional cult poet Paul Hamilton in My Prefect Cousin, once

HELEN MACDONALD 17 August 10:30 In H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald recounts her obsessive pursuit to become a falconer. DAVID HARSENT 19 August 10:15

Standing Shadows share dark territory and a haunting, steely, lyrical tone. TOM POW 19 August 15:30 Concerning the Atlas of Scotland reflects the poet fascination with maps and the exploration of new territories. MICHAEL PITRE 19 August 20:30 The Iraq veteran has turned to fiction with Fives and Twenty-Fives, a defining novel of the post-Iraq era.

ELAINE PROCTOR 20 August 19:00 The recent history of South Africa is the driving force behind The Savage Hour. SUSAN GREENFIELD 20 August 20:00 Mind Change creates the most scientifically rigorous picture of the influence that screen interaction time is having on the human mind.

ALAN WARNER 21 August 19:00 Set in 1980s London, two struggling writers penning calendar captions and trashy novels eke out an existence in Their Lips Talk of Mischief.





AUGUST LAUNCHES

CLEMENS J SETZ 22 August 10:15 Indigo, already shortlisted for the prestigious German Book Prize, takes readers to an uncanny near future. DAVID OLUSOGA 22 August 17:00

presents eyewitness accounts from multiracial colonial troops, whose key role in the conflict was airbrushed out by historians. DAVID BEZMOZGIS 22 August 19:00 The Betrayers transports readers to Jerusalem and Malta, places of divided loyalty and moral complexity. MONIR MOHAMED 23 August 14:00 Part photo-memoir, part-cookbook, Mother India Cook Book his love of cooking growing up and working in Glasgow. DEBBIE TAYLOR 23 August 15:30 Herring Girl features a 12 year old boy who believes he is female. When he goes under hypnosis a terrifying series of truths emerge. DENISE MINA, PAT MILLS & FRIENDS 23 August 18:45 IDP: 2043, a new graphic novel commissioned by the Edinburgh International Book Festival, merges dystopian forms and creates a vision of Scotland 30 years on from now. THE MOTH 23 August 20:00 The Moth, the legendary US storytelling organisation, collects together 50 of their best stories, in The Moth. NINA STIBBE 24 August 10:15

debut novel Man at the Helm, is a story about three children and their attractive divorced mother. HARUKI MURAKAMI 24 August 18:30 The rarely-interviewed author has a new novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage which sold more than 1 million copies in the week after its release in Japan. MARTIN AMIS 24 August 20:00 In The Zone of Interest Amis succeeds in finding moments of unexpected comedy as love blossoms in a Nazi concentration camp. STEVEN GALLOWAY 25 August 10:15 In The Confabulist, Galloway imagines the intrigue

SARAH WATERS 25 August 20:00 Set between the wars, The Paying Guests is the story

.





AUTUMN PREVIEWS

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is always a key occasion to catch major books

as or before they are published. Some of the books getting their first outing include:

SEPTEMBER PREVIEWS AIDAN MOFFAT 10 August 15:30 The acclaimed indie singer/songwriter tells the story of a little girl who wants a pretty dress for Christmas in The Lavender Blue Dress. ROWAN WILLIAMS 10 August 18:30

moving and uplifting new collection of poetry, The Other Mountain, explores moments of human transformation, whether in body or in spirit. WILL SELF 12 August 20:00 Shark ilty and technological progress with the return of his maverick psychiatrist Zack Busner. HANNAH ELLIS 14 August 10:30 Dylan Thomas: A Centenary Celebration brings together essays by high-profile admirers which explore the literary legacy of Dylan Thomas. NICHOLAS PARSONS 18 August 13:30 Parsons has hosted every single episode of Just a Minute and here outlines his favourite moments from

-running radio comedy show. ESTHER FREUD 20 August 20:30 The real-life figure of Charles Rennie Mackintosh looms large in Mr Mac and Me set in the critical year of 1914.

KATE MOSSE 21 August 18:30 Told over one summer, is the haunting new novel from the bestselling author of Labyrinth. DAVE GORMAN 22 August 18:30 In Too Much Information, Gorman entertainingly ponders why we live in a state of data overload. SARAH MCINTYRE & PHILIP REEVE 23 August 10:30 Exploring the furthest reaches of storytelling and drawing, Cakes in Space is an astronautical culinary adventure.

DAVID KYNASTON 23 August 11:30 Modernity Britain charts the tumultuous period of change between 1959 and 1962. JAMES RHODES 24 August 15:00 Instrumental tells the inspirational true tale of a man whose upbringing seemingly stunted his

calling and taught himself to be a virtuoso pianist. ELIZABETH WEIN 24 August 16:30 Inspired by little-known moment in history, Black Dove, White Raven is set in Ethiopia. SIMON ARMITAGE 24 August 16:30

Paper Aeroplane is a major collection of poems spanning his 25 year career to date, including translations of Middle English poems and a recent

The Iliad. NICK HAYES 24 August 18:30 Woody Guthrie: And The Dustbowl Ballads tells the

life in complex graphic novel form. AMY BLOOM 24 August 19:00

Lucky Us doffs a cap at the American Dream, exploring the betrayals and big dreams of two sisters, Eva and Iris. JOHN LANCHESTER 25 August 14:00 How to Speak Money is a candid explanation of the world, and words, of finance.

OCTOBER PREVIEWS LISA APPIGNANESI 12 August 16:00 Appignanesi returns to fin-de-siècle France in Sacred Ends, the second book in her Belle Epoque series. JUSTIN SOMPER 17 August 14:30

Allies and Assassins.

SPRING 2015 PREVIEWS POLLY TOYNBEE & DAVID WALKER 15 August 11:30 From two respected journalists, is a far-reaching and excoriating analysis of David

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT FRANCES SUTTON, PRESS MANAGER:

[email protected] / Tel: 0131 718 5654 / Mob: 07841 579481


NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL

IDP:2043

WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE 2014

Collaborative teams of leading graphic novelists and artists

imagine Scotland in 2043

with the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Freight Books

The Edinburgh International Book Festival and Freight Books has announced the six teams of major names

in European comics and graphic novels who have collaborated on a new graphic novel which will be

launched in August 2014.

As part of the Stripped programme of graphic novels at the 2013 Edinburgh International Book Festival,

authors and artists were commissioned to create a brand new graphic novel. Published by Glasgow-based

Freight Books, the resulting story, IDP: 2043, imagines a Scotland 30 years in the future and explores the

impact of global warming on the country. IDP (short for internally displaced person or persons) follows the

catastrophic effects of a small rise in sea levels on the

society reimagines itself in the face of a huge population shift in a world of scant resources.

Scottish crime writer and graphic novelist Denise Mina was appointed as story editor, and has worked with

some of the brightest talents in the European graphic novel world to co-ordinate the six different chapters in

this single narrative.

Celebrated French graphic novelist and illustrator Barroux who illustrates the chapter written by

Denise Mina

Costa Award winning Mary Talbot with artist Kate Charlesworth;

creator of 2000AD Pat Mills with graphic novelist Hannah Berry,

Enfant terrible of Scottish letters and author of Trainspotting Irvine Welsh with graphic artist Dan

McDaid,

Graphic novelist and illustrator Adam Murphy

Graphic novelist and illustrator Will Morris




NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL

IDP:2043

Denise Mina said, 'It has been thrilling to work with such great writers and artists. Each took the images,

characters and narrative to places I couldn't even have anticipated. At its best collaboration is surprising

and stimulating but this was fun too. And everyone was on time.'

top graphic novelists and artists to Charlotte Square Gardens last summer in our Stripped programme was

just the start. I am thrilled that we will be able to launch our very own graphic novel at the Book Festival this

year. This has been a truly collaborative effort and Denise has done an extraordinary job in pulling together

exponents of graphic novels. We are also delighted to be working with Freight as our publishing part

book festival on such a prestigious project, but also to be working with such a talented collection of

internationally renowned writers and artists. Graphic novels are a hugely important part of our creative

culture and IDP: 2043

urgh International Book

Festival has a global reputation for championing publishing, literature and creative writing it all its forms,

medium through the immensely successful Stripped Programme is a perfect example of this.

incredible scope of the genre and the range of talents involved is represented in this fascinating new

IDP:2043 will be published in August 2014 and launched at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The

Stripped programme of events in the 2013 Book Festival celebrated comics, graphic novels and the people

who create them. Over 40 events laid bare the incredible scope of this genre, giving audiences a chance to

meet the writers and artists behind this surprising, witty and insightful literary form.

The 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from Saturday 9 August to Monday 25 August and the

full programme of events can be found on www.edbookfest.co.uk.




LETTERS HOME

WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE 2014

A NEW COLLABORATION BETWEEN

THE EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

AND GRID IRON THEATRE COMPANY

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has announced an exciting new collaboration with multi award-

winning Scottish theatre company Grid Iron, which will form the centrepiece of the 2014 Festival. The Book

Festival has commissioned four internationally acclaimed writers to produce brand new pieces of short

fiction, inviting them reflect on the themes of identity and home in the form of letters between different

characters. These letters have been adapted into a promenade theatre production which will be directed by

four of Scotland's leading theatre artists alongside co-ordinating director Zinnie Harris.

Performances of Letters Home

Expo Fund and is part of the Glasgow Culture 2014 programme, will take place at the Book Festival from 9

25 August* with audiences moving between scenes in buildings in and around Charlotte Square,

returning to Charlotte Square Gardens for the finale.

Letters Home have been penned by four leading writers who originate from Commonwealth countries but

who have spent much of their careers living and working away from home; each has a different

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie from Nigeria is the bestselling author

of Orange Prize-winning Half of a Yellow Sun; Kei Miller is the acclaimed Glasgow-based Jamaican poet

whose PhD thesis was on Caribbean epistolary fiction; Kamila Shamsie, the brilliant Pakistani-British

author, Christos Tsiolkas, the

Australian author whose family emigrated from Greece, drew on his cultural experiences in his bestselling

novel The Slap. Their pieces build into a stunningly moving evocation of dialogue as it has shaped

relationships all over the world, and throughout the history of humankind.

Directing the pieces are Ben Harrison, Joe Douglas, Michael John McCarthy and Alice Nelson who, with

co-ordinating director Zinnie Harris, designer Becky Minto, lighting designer Colin Grenfell and composer

Philip Pinsky, create a verbal, visual and musical journey in and around Charlotte Square Gardens.




LETTERS HOME

N

festival, Edinburgh always strives to present events in innovative and imaginative forms. This is an

ambitious project and we are thrilled to be working with four visionary writers and their exciting

interpretations of our brief and with Grid Iron who have created an extraordinary piece of theatre which will

premiere at the Book Festival in August. The result is surprising, compelling, and at times very moving.

Judith Doherty, Co-Artistic Director of Grid Iron

company, it is at the heart of everything we do, so to be working alongside Edinburgh International Book

Festival and the four extraordinary writers they have commissioned for us is truly a privilege. To be able to

bring such rich and varied voices from around the globe together with such an exciting group of Scotland-

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said

Festival has grown rapidly in size and scope to become the largest festival of its kind in the world and now

is a key and hugely popular event in the August Festival season. I am ple

Expo fund allows them to develop further still and commission what is an exciting and innovative project

which will explore new ways of forging dialogue between l

Grid Iron is a multi-award winning theatre company committed to producing exciting new work in a variety

of spaces and locations. During the 18 years they have been producing they have amassed 27 awards and

a further 19 nominations covering all aspects of their work from acting, writing and use of music to design,

stage management and technical excellence. (www.gridiron.org.uk).

Tickets for Letters Home are now available from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Box Office

(www.edfringe.com) and will be available from the Edinburgh International Book Festival from Tuesday 24

June (www.edbookfest.co.uk or 0845 373 5888). Full details of the Edinburgh International Book Festival

programme can be found at www.edbookfest.co.uk.

*There will be no performance on Tuesday 12 or Tuesday 19 August.

-ends-

The Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme is a partnership between the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee, Glasgow

Life, and Creative Scotland through National Lottery funding.





SPONSORS 2014 MEDIA RELEASE

Wednesday 11 June 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE USE

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL WELCOMES THE WELLCOME TRUST

The Edinburgh International Book Festival today announced all its sponsors and supporters for the 2014

Festival. These include an exciting collaboration with the Wellcome Trust, supporting Conversations with

Ourselves, a strand of the programme which explores the effects on voice hearing in creative writing in a series

.

Baillie Gifford continue their lead sponsorship of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with title

sponsoring book tokens to be given to every pupil attending the Baillie Gifford Schools Programme.

ScottishPower Foundation remains committed to the Book Festival by supporting the ScottishPower

Foundation Studio and the Royal Bank of Scotland are title sponsors of the renamed Royal Bank of Scotland

Garden Theatre. The Guardian, Edinburgh International Book Festival media partner, continues to sponsor

The Guardian Spiegeltent, home of the eclectic, late evening entertainment Jura Unbound, and will be installing

a literary clock in the venue with timely contributions from book lovers.

largest investment trusts, returns as a Major Sponsor,

sponsoring a range of events covering matters that span the globe. Glasgow based Tangent Graphic, the Book

have been supportive by providing the brochure and branding artwork. Other Major

Sponsors returning this year include Experian, The Folio Society, Hawthornden Literary Retreat, and Walter

Scott & Partners.

We are also delighted to continue to work with our university partners including The Open University in

Scotland, The University of Edinburgh and The Alwaleed Centre, all of who bring academic expertise and

participants to our programme. A special event this year, sponsored by Edinburgh Napier University, includes

readings from The Hydra magazine produced by patients, including Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, of

Craiglockhart War Hospital during the First World War.





SPONSORS 2014 MEDIA RELEASE

The Edinburgh Academy, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University, and

Springfords are all sponsoring the Edinburgh International Book Festival for the first time. Also new for 2014

are Workflo Solutions, Scottish interiors specialists ANTA, Jump Marketing and Kobo who will be producing an

EPUB version of the printed brochure specifically for reading on tablets and smartphones.

Totseat are now Other

returning sponsors include Amnesty International, The List, National Library of Scotland, Scott-Moncrieff,

Scottish Oil Club, The Skinny, Society of Authors, Thomas Miller Investment, Valvona & Crolla and

Waterstones. The Edwin Morgan Trust will be announcing the inaugural winner of The Edwin Morgan Poetry

Award.

Sadie McKinlay, Head of Development at the Edinburgh Interna Staging a festival of

this scale would not be possible without support from a host of people and organisations. Not only do our

sponsors and supporters provide financial sponsorship, and sponsorship in-kind but there is the time,

resources and intellectual investment all our partners have made to the Book Festival to ensure we retain our

position as the best book festival in the world.

-ends-

For further information please contact: Frances Sutton, Press Manager

07841 579481 or [email protected]



LET’S TALK Charlotte Square Gardens Edinburgh

9 – 25 August 2014 www.edbookfest.co.uk

INDEX

Let’s Talk – Edinburgh International Book Festival Launches 2014 Programme

Additional Adult Programme Highlights

Stories from Around the World – Baillie Gifford Children’s Programme

Additional Children’s Programme Highlights

Conversations with Ourselves

Scotland’s Future

First Book Award

Books Published in July

Books Launched in August

Autumn Previews

Dream Team Create Vision of Scotland’s Future

Letters Home

Book Festival Sponsors

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/

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