FESTIVAL BOOKS | Day Planner
As the Edinburgh International Book Festival opens its doors, books editor Kirsty Logan picks the literary legends and top talks you can’t afford to miss
SATURDAY 10 Kate Atkinson In Atkinson’s newest novel Life After Life, baby Ursula lives dozens of different lives. 11.30am, £10 (£8). Salman Rushdie Despite being forced into hiding by an Iranian fatwa after the publication of The Satanic Verses, Rushdie remains one of the most influential and successful British writers alive. 3pm, £10 (£8). Grim Tales from the Brothers Grimm Witches, wolves, murder and mutilation: discover the darker side of these classic German fairytales. 3.45pm, £12 (includes cocktail). Stevie Davies & Jess Richards Science, spiritualism and magic collide in the novels of these two young writers. 7pm, £7 (£5). Roddy Doyle A new story set in modern-day Dublin, The Guts is a sequel to Doyle’s 1987 novel The Commitments. 8pm, £10 (£8).
SUNDAY 11
Kristen Iversen Iversen grew up in the shadow of Colorado’s secrecy-shrouded Rocky Flats nuclear facility; Full Body Burden tells her story. 11am, £10 (£8). George Monbiot Monbiot has written on chalk streams, heritage apples, Bill Hicks – and now the controversial practice of rewilding in his latest book, Feral. 3pm, £10 (£8). Jenn Ashworth & Peggy Riley Faith and family tragedy are explored in the new novels of these exciting young writers. 3.30pm, £7 (£5). Sarah Dunant Blood and Beauty is an epic novel of the infamous, adulterous, power-hungry Borgia family – who were also patrons of the arts. 7pm, £10 (£8). Tongue Fu A riotous experiment in live music and spoken word, Tongue Fu brings their genre-hopping London show to Edinburgh. Midnight, £11.50 (£10.50). MONDAY 12
Nadeem Aslam Twice longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Aslam’s new book The Blind Man’s Garden explores post-9/11 Pakistan and Afghanistan. See right. 10.15am, £10 (£8). A L Kennedy Prizewinning novelist and Guardian columnist deconstructs the creative process in On Writing. 11.30am, £10 (£8). Rodge Glass & Adam Marek Glass and Marek present their knockout short story collections: one on a theme of cheap international travel, and the other on a parent’s attempts to protect a vulnerable child. 3.30pm, £7 (£5). Ian Rankin Crime superstar Rankin resurrects anti-hero DI John Rebus in Standing in Another Man’s Grave. 6.30pm, £10 (£8). Chris Ware As part of the Stripped strand, Ware describes the ten year process of creating his multi-format masterpiece Building Stories. 8.30pm, £10 (£8). TUESDAY 13
Will Storr Have you met UFO spotters, Holocaust deniers, or extreme Buddhist meditators? Will Storr has, and he wants to tell you about it. 2pm, £7 (£5). Sing It Loud, Sing It Proud In her book Hook, Line and Singer, Catatonia frontwoman Cerys Matthews explains why everyone can – and should – sing. 3pm, £10 (£8). Gökçenur Ç & W N Herbert Maverick poets Gökçenur Ç & W N 32 THE LIST FESTIVAL 8–15 Aug 2013
NADEEM ASLAM The Pakistan-born author moved to the UK aged 14 when his Communist father fled President Zia’s regime – and at that point, Aslam had already published his first short story. His latest novel, The Blind Man’s Garden, explores interconnected lives in post-9/11 Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Kirsty Logan) ■ Mon 12 Aug, 10.15am, £10 (£8).
Herbert drive the written word in new directions. 3.30pm, £7 (£5). The Independence Debate with Kirsty Wark Confused about Scottish independence? This debate brings together academic experts to debunk the myths and false statements from both sides of the referendum debate. 4.30pm, £10 (£8). Best of Young British Novelists 2013 at Jura Unbound Jenni Fagan, Sarah Hall and Evie Wyld read from their latest books at this relaxed evening event. 9pm, free.
WEDNESDAY 14 John Burnside Novelist, poet and short story writer Burnside presents his latest collection, Something Like Happy. 10.15am, £10 (£8). Walking with Poets Celebrating a series of guided walks exploring poetry’s relationship with landscape, the Scottish Poetry Library present this reading workshop. Poems provided. 11am, £7 (£5). Maj Sjöwall The inspiration for Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell, Swedish
crime novelist Sjöwall makes her first visit to EIBF. 1.30pm, £10 (£8). Ruby Wax The outspoken comedian helps us to find calm in a frantic world. 4.30pm, £10 (£8). Ron Rash & Manuel Rivas The New York Times called Rivas ‘one of the best American novelists of his day’. Here he launches his new novel, All is Silence. 8.30pm, £10 (£8). All of the above events are at Charlotte Square Gardens, 0845 373 5888, 10–26 Aug, edbookfest.co.uk