A guide to the Edinburgh International Book Festival

Book lovers will have no shortage of things to see and do this summer. From 13 – 29 August 2016, Edinburgh will be living up to its name as a city of literature, as it welcomes back this year’s International Book Festival. The festival is one of the most anticipated literary events on Edinburgh’s social calendar and makes for the perfect summer excursion for avid readers, book lovers, poets and more.

With more than 800 authors attending more than 700 events each year, the festival is a melting pot of talent and offers something for every age, background and interest. With events hosted and run by a diverse group, including novelists, poets, scientists, illustrators, comic book creators, historians, musicians, prize winners, environmentalists, biographers, philosophers and sportsmen, it is a truly unique festival.

Here is what you can expect from the 2016 installment of the Edinburgh International Book Festival:

Location:

The festival is set in the beautifully leafy Charlotte Square Gardens – located at the West end of George street, just a minute away from Princes Street. Most of the events require an admission on entry, however the gardens are free to all during the festival. The park only opens to the public for special events, offering the perfect place to soak up the sun and atmosphere. The village of tents allows visitors to get up close to their favourite author, join a workshop or debate, or simply sit and enjoy a beer in the spiegeltent.

This year’s themes:

Edinburgh’s International Book Festival is much more than a celebration of the written word, it is an opportunity to explore a range of thought provoking topics and themes. This year’s festival is no different, including a diverse programme of events exploring everything from tales of migration; power shifts within society; all the way through to music, the Middle East and its future.

The festival aptly explores journeys of discovery through various mediums including fiction and non fiction, poetry, world affairs and personal stories. 

Events:

One of this year’s key events is set up by Nobel Laureate, Alice Munro. This year’s festival presents a dramatic adaptation of two stories taken from Munro’s collection, The View from Castle Rock

The stage show has been created by acclaimed director Marilyn Imrie and multi-award-winning playwright Linda McLean. The word-for-word adaptation documents the immigration of Munro’s ancestors on their journey from Leith Docks to Canada in 1818.

With a vast array of other events set over the course of the festival includes; Michael Morpurgo presenting a special performance of his book, The Mozart Question; Abi Elphinstone introducing the second installment of her adventure series, The Shadow Keeper; and another jam-packed program of Unbound events which carry on late into the night. For more information visit https://www.edbookfest.co.uk. 

Who:

With over 800 authors taking part this August, from household names to talented newcomers, taking part this August, there are quite literally too many to name. But if we were forced to pick out a few highlights, we would have to mention Michael Morpurgo, Julia Donaldson, actor Alan Cummings and Nicola Sturgeon, all of whom will be in attendance. 

Other appearances include Jackie Kay – Scotland’s new national poet, American novelist Jonathan Safran Foer and Eimear McBride, who is there to discuss her follow up novel to the acclaimed, A Girl is a Half Formed Thing.

One thing is for sure at this year’s festival; you’ll never be short of things to see and do.

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