Gavin Francis (2018 Event)

Following the resounding success of the bestselling Adventures in Human Being, Edinburgh-based GP and writer Gavin Francis turns his attention to Shapeshifters or more specifically, the ways in which human bodies are transformed throughout a lifetime. Changes happen in many different contexts: ageing, transgender journeys and plastic surgery being some topical examples that Francis analyses in his new book. This event was recorded at the 2018 Edinburgh International Book Festival and is chaired by Allan Little. 

Loading the player... if your browser supports audio and video it should appear in a few moments.
Download MP3

Book Festival News

Book Festival reveals first author events for 2024 Book Festival reveals first author events for 2024
Sunday 14 April

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Listen to more

Erica Jong (2016 Event) Erica Jong (2016 Event) Back in 1973, Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying introduced the beguiling Isadora Wing and her idea of ‘zipless’ no-strings-attached sex. The book became a bestselling icon of the sexual revolution. Now, in this event recorded live at the 2016 Edinburgh In… Chigozie Obioma & Simon Sylvester (2015 Event) Chigozie Obioma & Simon Sylvester (2015 Event) Chigozie Obioma’s thrillingly assured debut novel The Fishermen is set in small-town Nigeria, while Simon Sylvester’s seductive debut The Visitors unfolds on a remote Scottish island. Yet despite their disparate locations, these stories are un… Paul Durcan (2012 event) Paul Durcan (2012 event) 'If there were a prize for best reader of one’s own poems, Paul Durcan would probably win it hands down,' proclaimed the… Patrick Gale (2018 Event) Patrick Gale (2018 Event) Fans of Patrick Gale, and of Rough Music in particular, will be thrilled to learn that he launches his 16th novel, Take Nothing With You, in this conversation with Eleanor Updale recorded live at the 2018 Edinburgh International Book Festival. The story o… Niall Ferguson (2011 Event) Niall Ferguson (2011 Event) Are we living through the dying embers of Western ascendancy? For Scottish historian and broadcaster Niall Ferguson, the ‘killer applications’ test is the best way to measure our status with the rest of the world… Powering the Planet (2010 Event) Powering the Planet (2010 Event) How do we provide fuel for the world without destroying it in the process, and can Scotland really be a key player? Part of our popular debates and environment strand in 2010, this event features a panel of experts to discuss the options… Alexander Masters (2016 Event) Alexander Masters (2016 Event) In 2001, almost 150 tattered notebooks were discovered in a skip in Cambridge. They were a small part of an intimate diary that began in 1952 and ended half a century later. It took Alexander Masters five years to uncover the identity and real history of … Ingrid Betancourt with Kirsty Wark (2011 Event) Ingrid Betancourt with Kirsty Wark (2011 Event) When Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt went on the campaign trail in 2002, she could not have imagined that it would end in a kidnapping and six year incarceration at the hands of guerrilla forces… David Campbell David Campbell David Campbell describes his varied working life from English Lit teacher to BBC broadcaster to Celtic storyteller, culminating in his world travels with friend and hero "tinker" storyteller Duncan Williamson, in this lively chat during the 2009… Douglas Stuart with Damian Barr: The Making of Shuggie Bain (2020 Event) Douglas Stuart with Damian Barr: The Making of Shuggie Bain (2020 Event) In the words of the Kirkus review: ‘You will never forget Shuggie Bain. Scene by scene, this book is a masterpiece.’ This astonishing debut is a powerful and heartbreaking story about the love between a boy and his mother, about poverty and addic…