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‘epically hard travelling’. Fortunately for us, he took epically hard notes. ‘When I was travelling round places like Sumatra, Socotra and Djibouti, I kept detailed diaries and sketches, and those form the backbone of Far Horizons,’ he says. ‘It’s really a celebration of independent travel to unusual and adventurous – but not necessarily dangerous – countries.’
Some of the countries were perilous though. Five years ago, reporting from what ought to have been a routine assignment in Riyadh, he was shot six times at point-blank range by an Islamist extremist. He no longer has the use of his legs. This event forms the centrepoint of both the book and his Edinburgh talk, which he hopes to illustrate with music and slides from his travels. However, as he says, both talk and book are a celebration. ‘It starts with me as a teenager, being “beasted” up some Austrian mountain in the rain by a Royal Marine PT instructor, and carries on through the 80s and 90s via a mistaken stint in a Greek hospital for acutely infectious diseases,’ he says. ‘Then there’s trekking in search of a lost city in the Colombian jungle and the strange experience of trying to scuba dive in the Red Sea with paralysed legs. Basically, I’ll be giving an insight into some of the more bizarre and absurd encounters I’ve had in out-of-the-way places.’ (Kirstin Innes) ■ 30 Aug, 6.30pm, £9 (£7).
JASON DONALD Opening doors in other people’s memories
‘The reaction to Choke Chain has been positive and often emotional,’ says Glasgow-based author Jason Donald, whose first novel was published earlier this year. His debut is a tender, at times uncomfortable, coming-of-age tale of two brothers growing up in 1980s South Africa, dominated by a bullying father figure. Bruce Thorne is man of the house, and believes the best way to avoid raising a pair of sissies is to feed them a macho diet of bare-knuckle fighting, casual racism and scams to get out of paying the bills. ‘People email me saying they loved the book but were in tears by the last few chapters,’ reveals Donald. ‘Someone said they were “physically shaking with anger” at Bruce. Many mild-mannered readers have confessed they were wishing for terrible things to happen to him.’
Donald’s description of a hot summer in Pretoria, with car trips to
KIDSEVENTS
Some big names are rolled out for the final week
With the final embers of the Book Festival starting to do that fading away thing, there are some sparkling treats to occupy the bairns with before Charlotte Square Gardens loses the tents. The Gruffalo’s Birthday (30 Aug) has writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler dropping by to celebrate ten years of the big guy who lurks in the woods to the mouse’s amazement. Danny Boyle collaborator Frank Cottrell Boyce (30 Aug) delivers some anecdotes and antics for fans of Millions and Cosmic while Daniel Postgate (31 Aug) keeps the iconic family name going with his own picture books such as the Smelly Bill series. Former Children’s Laureate
Michael Rosen (31 Aug) will entertain the masses in his own inimitable way with a couple of events including a Roald Dahl- themed hour while the Laureate count keeps coming with the current holder of the title Anthony Browne (29 Aug) holding court. (Brian Donaldson) ■ See edbookfest.co.uk for full details of events.
the beach at Durban, or barbecues under the purple jacaranda trees was inspired by his own childhood. Born in Dundee to a South African mum and Scottish dad, he moved with his family to Pretoria aged two and returned to Scotland when he was 16. ‘Quite a few people who grew up in South Africa say my book opened up doors in their memories,’ says Donald, who is currently working on a second novel about asylum seekers in Glasgow. ‘The sky, the heat, walking around barefoot, their experiences of apartheid. These conversations have been an unexpected reward.’ (Claire Sawers) ■ 28 Aug (with Amanda Smyth), 6pm, £6 (£4). Online Booking Fringe www.edfringe.com International Festival www.eif.co.uk Book Festival www.edbookfest.co.uk Art Festival www.edinburghartfestival.org
in association with Runs until 31 August Drop by – we’d love to see you!
Charlotte Square Gardens Tickets from the Box Office in Charlotte Square Gardens 0845 373 5888 www.edbookfest.co.uk 27 Aug–10 Sep 2009 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 67