{BOOKS} Week Planner
SATURDAY 13 Alexander McCall Smith
Alasdair Gray The Book Fest beanfeast is officially launched with this appearance by the godfather of Glasgow literature. 11.30am, £10 (£8). Joan Lingard The Edinburgh-born writer launches The Stolen Sister, the third in her series of books about orphans living in a London boozer. 2pm, £4.50. Simon Stephenson A true story of hope and redemption, Let Not the Waves of the Sea tells the tragic tale of the death of the author’s brother in the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. 2.30pm, £10 (£8). Amnesty International Imprisoned Writers Series This year’s AI talks kick off with a discussion about torture with Sophie Hardach among the scribes appearing. 5.30pm, free. Alexander McCall SmIth The ever- popular AMS is in town to chat about the gentle side of crime writing and social analysis. 6.30pm, £10 (£8). Tom McCarthy With C, McCarthy brought us an experimental romp dubbed an ‘anti-novel’ in some quarters which laid his admiration of Joyce and Beckett out for all to, em, C. 7pm, £10 (£8). Alan Warner Oban’s finest is always a welcome addition to the Charlotte Square Gardens roster and here he reflects on the writing process and gives us a sneak preview of his 2012 publication. 8.30pm, £10 (£8). SUNDAY 14
Horrid Henry with Francesca Simon With the film out and about now, we imagine some more HH books will be fleeing the shelves shortly. Henry’s creator chats about his latest mischiefs. 1.30pm, £4.50. Darian Leader In The New Black, Leader wrote about how depression may well be a mere invention of the modern drugs industry. Rather than pills, he suggests that art and culture are better suited as a remedy to melancholia. 11am, £10 (£8). Lila Azam Zanganeh This French- Iranian writer offers up her own slant on the legacy of Vladimir Nabokov in her own novel/essay, The Enchanter. 4pm, £10 (£8). The New Scotland Head of Creative Scotland, Andrew Dixon, is joined by ex-Deputy First Minister, Jim Wallace, to discuss how Scotland sees itself as a nation into the 21st century. 5pm, £10 (£8). Sarah Brown The former PM’s wife takes us Behind the Black Door and reveals as much as she is allowed to about her previous life in Number 10. Which probably seems a very long time ago now. 6.30pm, £10 (£8). Hari Kunzru In his new novel, the author and commentator has given us a spectacular vista involving parents at the centre of a media witch-hunt, a rock star hiding out at a run-down motel and a teenage Iraqi refugee living a surreal role-playing life. Recently, we said the book made ‘a masterful use of 34 THE LIST 11–18 Aug 2011
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language and tone [to] ensure we are hooked from beginning to end.’ 7pm, £10 (£8). MONDAY 15
Lucy Hawking The daughter of you- know-who chats about their latest collaboration, George and the Big Bang, a high-octane adventure featuring wormholes and the very edge of knowledge. Lofty ambitions indeed. 10.30am, £4.50. William McIlvanney Having blazed a trail across the Scottish literary scene since the late 60s, the Kilmarnock-born writer is in town to talk books with Ruth Wishart. 11.30am, £10 (£8). Jonathan Agnew We’ve all heard the clip of him reducing Brian Johnston to a fit of uncontrollable giggles live on air, right? See if he can tickle your stuff as he chats about a life in cricket. 3pm, £10 (£8). Pamela Stephenson-Connolly The antipodean former comedian and actress took a sharp change of career gear by becoming a clinical psychologist specialising in the world of sex and how it informs our everyday lives. You may have seen her putting the likes of Sarah Ferguson, Salman Rushdie and Tony Curtis through the emotional wringer on More4’s Shrink Rap and here she fields the penetrating questions from Ruth Wishart. 4.30pm, £10 (£8). Jennifer Egan & Karen Russell Two rising stars of the north American fiction game join up to discuss their novels A Visit from the Goon Squad (Egan) and Swamplandia! (Russell). 7pm, £7 (£5). John Hartson The former Celtic, Wales and Arsenal striker faced up to his most difficult challenge to date when he suffered cancer shortly after retiring from football. Happily he pulled through and chats about his life in and out of the game with celebrity St Johnstone fan Stuart Cosgrove. 8.30pm, £10 (£8).
TUESDAY 16
Miriam Toews & David Vann Two exciting authors from across the pond bring their particular backgrounds to bare in their fiction. Toews is a Canadian of Mennonite descent while Vann hails from Alaska. 10.15am, £10 (£8). Sebastian Barry The award-winning writer’s new novel is On Canaan’s Side, a heart-rending panorama that travels across over half a century. 1.30pm, £10 (£8). Ilan Pappé This esteemed chronicler of ancient history takes us back to the early 18th century and through to the post-war years of the Husaynis, a Middle East family which dominated Palestinian life during that period. 3pm, £10 (£8). Michelle Paver Her Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series is now a wrap. Fans of Torak, Wolf and Renn should get here quickfast. 5pm, £4.50. David Millar The true story of how a talented Scottish cyclist lost almost everything before dragging it all back after a doping scandal threatened to ruin his career. Bike writer Richard Moore hosts this event. 7pm, £10 (£8). Kelly Link with Audrey Niffenegger Guest selector Niffenegger introduces us to Link, whose titles include Magic for Beginners and The Best of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. 8.30pm, £10 (£8). WEDNESDAY 17
Maggie O’Farrell If I was compared to Daphne du Maurier and Rebecca West, I’d be telling people that too. But the Northern Ireland-born writer is very much her own scribe and has gained an ever-bigger fanbase with the likes of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and After You’d Gone. 1.30pm, £10 (£8). Neil Gaiman with Audrey Niffenegger Guest selector Niffenegger does more selecting of
FOR DETAILS OF ALL EVENTS SEE EDBOOKFEST .CO.UK guests with the writer of The Sandman and Coraline today’s chosen one. The subject at hand may well be sparked off by the fact that it’s a decade since his landmark American Gods publication. 3pm, £10 (£8). Operation Eiffel Tower with Elen Caldecott Lauren and Jack have sent their parents off to France to see if they can start being nice to one another again. But is arranging dinner for two under the Eiffel Tower in the local crazy golf attraction the right way to go about it? 5pm, £4.50. Tam Dalyell with James Naughtie The man who single- handedly took on Thatcher over the sinking of the Belgrano during the Falklands conflict is grilled by the broadcaster who was once accused of ‘kebabing’ the former Labour leader Neil Kinnock. Should be a juicy event. 6.30pm, £10 (£8). Edwin Morgan International Poetry Prize The late Glasgow poetry legend and good friend of the Book Festival is honoured once more with this prize in his name. David Kinloch chairs this no-doubt poignant ceremony. 7pm, £10 (£8). Kristin Hersh With Paradoxical Undressing, the former Throwing Muse laid bare her mental illness and here will take further courageous steps in bringing it more into the open. 8.30pm, £10 (£8).
THURSDAY 18
Angus Peter Campbell & Gwyneth Lewis Two writers who deal in delicious and strange myths and legends in their novels meet up to chew some literary fat. Noon, £7 (£5). Best of European Fiction 2011 Kevin Barry, Lucian Dan Teodorovici and Manon Uphoff share a busy stage to discuss their various fictions, with literary critic Stuart Kelly sparking off the discussion. 2.30pm, £10 (£8). John Byrne One of our nation’s true renaissance men sets aside all the record sleeves he’s designed and pictures he’s painted to chat about his written work. 4.30pm, £10 (£8). Simon Puttock A chance to find out how to go about creating the ideal picture book with the man behind the superbly-titled Goat and Donkey in Strawberry Sunglasses and Earth to Stella! 4.30pm, £4.50. Richard Wiseman Do ghosts exist or are spooky apparitions just a figment of our over-active imaginations? The good prof who has written books such as Quirkloogy and The Luck Factor will amusingly reveal all. 7pm, £10 (£8). Candia McWilliam She wooed Charlotte Square Gardens with her appearance, which marked the publication of McWilliam’s book about the loss of her sight, which has now been restored after surgery. Sheena McDonald welcomes her back. 8.30pm, £10 (£8). Compiled by Brian Donaldson