Edinburgh International Book Festival
Dates for next festival: Sat 14 - Mon 30 August 2010
Programme announced in June
What? A festival of open horizons and energising ideas, at the heart of Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature. 17 extraordinary days, 750 events, 800 authors, over 40 different countries represented. Bookworms, bibliophiles and internationally acclaimed authors will descend on Edinburgh for the 25th anniversary of the largest celebration of the written word in the world.
Who? 2009 Margaret Atwood, Vince Cable, Antony Beevor, Garrison Keillor, Richard Dawkins, David Sedaris, Tom Devine, Jeremy Paxman, Neil Gaiman, Carol Ann Duffy, Bahaa Taher, Ma Jian, Zoya Phan, Henning Mankel, Mathias Malzieu, Andrey Kurkov, William Boyd, A L Kennedy, Irvine Welsh, John Burnside, Michael Mansfield, David Peace
RBS Children's Programme: Nick Butterworth, Jeremy Strong, Julia Donaldson, SteveCole, Michelle Paver, Jenny Nimmo, Neil Gaiman. Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Deary, Michael Morpurgo, Michael Rosen and Darren Shan, John Burningham, Oliver Jeffers, Patrick Ness, Judith Kerr, Emily Gravett
With 750 author events appearing, the event is too big for us to do justice to on our 'wee reference' site. Visit official site and be amazed. Some highlights below.
When? Sat 14 - Mon 30 August 2010
Where? Charlotte Square Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland AA Route Planner | multimap
How much? Some event free. Other various prices.
Front Page | Top | Festival Calendar |A-Z of Literary Festivals | Books | Authors A-Z
Festival Website: www.edbookfest.co.uk
Previous festivals: Gordon Brown, Sean Connery, Bill Paterson, Eoin Colfer, David Lodge, Alastair Reid, Louis de Bernières, Tariq Ali, Gavin Esler, Steven Berkoff, Jonathan Dimbleby
2009 Festival Highlights (with thanks to the official Festival site)
- Margaret Atwood launches her new novel, The Year of the Flood, with a unique performance of music and song
- New books from William Boyd, Richard Dawkins, Tom Kitchin, Michael Mansfield, Tracy Chevalier, Liam McIlvanney, Valerie Martin, Nicholson Baker, Colum McCann, Humphrey Hawkesley, Alexander McCall Smith, Ian Rankin and Douglas Coupland among others
- One of the most dynamic female politicians of our time, Shirley Williams, delivers the National Library of Scotland Donald Dewar Lecture
- Scottish history, literature, culture, society, and exploration and of course, celebrate our National Bard - Robert Burns, for Scotland's Year of Homecoming
- New volumes of short stories are brought to Charlotte Square by A L Kennedy, Irvine Welsh and Ben Okri
- Giants of British theatre include Joss Ackland, Diana Quick, Richard Eyre and Antony Sher
- Scotland's newest creative talent, and take a look at some of the finest unpublished writers from across the creative writing schools of Scotland, supported by the Scottish Government's Edinburgh Festival's Expo Fund
- A dozen of Sweden's best contemporary authors feature, including internationally renowned crime writer Henning Mankell. Some well known, some unknown, and some translated and presented in English for the first time in unique dialogue with their UK counterparts.
- New writing from Africa includes stories from Malawi, Sudan, Eritrea, Nigeria and Zimbabwe
- Exploration of the mplications of the global economic downturn with experts including Vince Cable, Philip Augar, Paul Mason, Gillian Tett, Dan Atkinson and Andrew Simms
- Authors visit Charlotte Square Gardens from over 45 countries including Albania, Bosnia, Burma, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sudan, Turkey and Ukraine
- Front Page | Top | Festival Calendar |A-Z of Literary Festivals | Books | Authors A-Z
-
-
RBS Children's Programme highlights
- Popular children's writer Cornelia Funke makes a rare public appearance to talk about her Inkworld series
- Enjoy exclusive previews of new work by Julia Donaldson, Michelle Paver and Steve Cole
- Techno-expert Jason Bradbury, from The Gadget Show, will be joined by a troupe of robots to talk about his novel, Dot Robot
- Martial Arts Master Chris Bradford arrives with an authentic samurai sword demonstration illustrating his award-winning Young Samurai serie
- Launching new books are Nick Butterworth, Emily Gravett, Jeremy Strong, Angie Sage and Terry Deary among others
- Sports fans can enjoy new work from Narinder Dhami who follows up Bend it Like Beckham with The Beautiful Game
- Catch the end of The Edge Chronicles, as Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell discuss their brilliant final instalment
- Internationally renowned Swedish crime writer, Henning Mankell talks about his children's novel The Cat Who Liked Rain
- Graphic Novels continue to grow in popularity. Ian Rankin launches his debut graphic novel, and is joined by Neil Gaiman, author of the epic Sandman series. Plus, Mark Millar, Gary Erskine and Tony Lee.
- Judith Kerr, creator of Mog the Cat and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, discusses her fascinating childhood escape from Nazi Germany, as told in the autobiographical novel When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
-
-
Make the most of your visit to Edinburgh with some unmissable city highlights:
1.) Architecture
The UNESCO World Heritage Site at the heart of the city combines the medieval Old Town, the Georgian New Town and award winning modern architecture. A stroll through the city's streets show Edinburgh's timeless elegance, steeped in fascinating history. From the dominating castle at the heart of the city to the new Scottish Parliament building, inspiration, creativity and vibrancy are in the air everywhere in Edinburgh.
www.ewht.org.uk -
2.) City Tour
Let the professionals guide you around the city, choose from an open top bus, a walking or cycling tour or an atmospheric ghost tour of the Old Town. All city bus tours leave from Waverley Bridge and you can buy a hop-on, hop-off ticket which will last you 24 hours. Ghost tours are generally concentrated around the Old Town. Tickets can be bought directly or at the Tourist Information Centre on top of Waverley Mall, at 3 Princes Street.
3.) Museums & Galleries
Edinburgh's world-ranking museums and galleries tell the story of a fascinating past mixed with contemporary exhibitions. Choose from national collections and international blockbusters to more intimate spaces and exhibits. Home to Scotland's five National Galleries and Scotland's National Museum, there's a number of events and exhibitions to choose from year round.
www.nationalgalleries.org
www.nms.ac.uk
4.) Shopping
Whatever you're after, Edinburgh has something to suit. From the High Street favourites of Princes Street, funky boutiques of the West End and designer chic of the New Town, you'll be spoilt for choice. Edinburgh is home to Scotland's only Harvey Nichols store which sits next to Edinburgh's designer boulevard, Multrees Walk. From Louis Vuitton and Armani to G-Star Raw and Replay, the choice is yours. If unique one-offs are your thing, why not check out local legend WM Armstrongs & Son in the Grassmarket, packed with vintage gowns and retro gems.
More about shopping in Edinburgh
5.) Eating & Drinking
Rooftop restaurants and basement bars make eating and drinking in style an essential part of anyone's visit. Take your pick from contemporary style bars and restaurants to more traditional, cosy eateries. When it comes to restaurants, you'll be spoilt for choice. Edinburgh is said to have more restaurants per head of population than anywhere else in the UK and every taste is catered for in abundance. For stylish drinking, head to George Street where style bars and cocktails are the order of the day. For a more traditional tipple, head to the Old Town for pubs with their own unique story.
www.eatscotland.com
