list.co.uk/festival Granta Writers | FESTIVAL FEATURES
FIVE OF THE BEST. . . GRANTA EVENTS AT THE BOOK FEST
SALMAN RUSHDIE Provocative, unapologetic, influential – and one of the authors to be
featured on Granta’s first ever Best
of Young British Novelists list back in 1983, for his novel Shame. He’ll be in
town, discussing his Fatwa-attracting
career. ■ 10 Aug, 3pm, SOLD OUT.
AL KENNEDY Justifiably looked upon as one of Scotland’s modern-day literary
treasures, the ink-black humour of the sometime stand-up comedian, AL
Kennedy, weaves around unsettling real-life truths. She’ll be discussing
her essay collection, On Writing. ■ 12 Aug, 11.30am, £10 (£8).
RACHEL CUSK, AL KENNEDY AND TOBY LITT These three all made Granta’s list of the best novelists under the age
of 40, exactly one decade ago. The writers (of suburban drama,
experimental sci-fi and dark short
stories respectively) reflect on what’s happened to their careers since then. ■ 12 Aug, 5pm, £10 (£8).
AMY SACKVILLE AND EDIE WYLD Sackville’s debut novel, The Still Point, was an eerily beautiful
description of an Arctic expedition. She returns with book two, Orkney,
and teams up with Wyld, named one of Granta’s Best New Novelists this
year for All the Birds. ■ 13 Aug, 7pm, £7 (£5).
TIBOR FISCHER, CANDIA MCWILLIAM AND ADAM MARS-JONES Three authors who all made it onto 1993’s Best Young British Novelists
list (Granta publishes it once a
decade) talk about what the title did
for their career. (Claire Sawers) ■ 11 Aug, 5pm, £10 (£8).
8–15 Aug 2013 THE LIST FESTIVAL 19
For the last 30 years, the literary journal and leading champion of new writing, Granta, has published a list of writers to watch, with literary giants including Salman Rushdie, Monica Ali and Martin Amis all making the cut. With the latest line-up recently revealed – and special events at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival on the horizon – Hannah McGill fi nds this year’s elect much-infl uenced by their predecessors
anytime soon.’
Others from the class of 2013 have specii c relationships with previous Granta listees. Joanna Kavenna, whose most recent novel is 2012’s Come to the Edge, has cited 2003 inclusion David Mitchell, not just for his own direct inl uence, but – appropriately for a novelist known for his intricate multi-strand plots – for the literary web of which he forms part of his narrative. For Jenni Fagan, Livingston-born author of the highly-praised 2012 debut The Panopticon, three Scottish writers – Iain Banks, listed in 1993; Alan Warner from 2003; and AL Kennedy, on the list both years and a judge in 2013 – have particular signii cance. ‘I saw A.L. Kennedy read when I was about nineteen and thought she was formidably talented. I’ve followed her work ever since and it has
never let me down; she is hilarious, sharp and uncomfortably intelligent,’ says Fagan. She adds: ‘Alan Warner read at the Tabernacle in West London when I lived there, and he recommended I send some poems to [Scottish journal] Gutter. His generosity as a writer isn’t just in his books – but you i nd that spirit in them, each and every one.’ As for the late and much-mourned Banks, Fagan just i nished his i nal novel, The Quarry, and praises it as ‘clear, compelling and easy to read while encompassing every element that makes extraordinary writing. I am glad he left such a huge body of work to enjoy and study for many years to come.’
All Granta events take place in Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888, 10–15 Aug. See right for more Granta event info.