Press Office Latest News
26 August 2008
Book Festival celebrates 25 years in style
The 25th anniversary year of the Edinburgh International Book Festival has been a glorious success and has certainly proved to be eventful, launching with a surprise appearance from the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and closing on Monday with the launch of Being a Scot where, on his 78th birthday, Sean Connery made his only public appearance to talk about the book. The Connery event was the fastest selling event in the 25 years of the Book Festival with all 570 tickets gone in under an hour.
Packed in between the two were 800 authors, from 45 different countries appearing in 750 different events. As well as the Prime Minister, leading political figures included the First Minister, John Prescott, Jonathan Powell and Robert Kagan, foreign policy advisor to US Presidential candidate John McCain. The persistent rain in one of the wettest Augusts on record, which turned parts of Charlotte Square gardens into muddy pools frequented by yellow rubber ducks and seagulls, failed to deter visitors. Almost 200,000 people visited the Book Festival this year, with 75% of tickets sold which represents a rise of 3% in ticket sales from 2007.
The Book Festival ventured into publishing with a new book, supported by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festival’s Expo Fund. Lights Off The Quay contains new and specially commissioned work from four of Scotland’s internationally acclaimed and award winning authors – John Burnside, Janice Galloway, A L Kennedy and Don Paterson.
Five authors from the 2008 Man Booker Prize longlist enthralled audiences including Salman Rushdie, winner of the 1981 Booker Prize, the Booker of Bookers in 1993 and the Best of the Booker earlier this year with Midnight’s Children, who presented his new book, The Enchantress of Florence. His sold-out event was beamed live into the Melbourne Writers Festival, with the Australian audience on the other side of the globe asking him questions as part of a pioneering live satellite link with the second UNESCO City of Literature.
A lighter note was struck by cult American author, Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club and Choke, who launched his new novel Snuff, about the porn industry. His superb sense of story-telling and interaction, as well as his three-hour book signing – the longest for this year – captivated a diverse audience, many of them attending a literary event for the first time.
Many sold-out events featured exclusive book launches, including new memoirs from Carol Thatcher and Kate Adie.
Catherine Lockerbie, director, said: "This festival has surpassed all my expectations. From the success of our surprise opening event all the way through to Sir Sean Connery’s warm, witty and relaxed appearance, filled with quirky stories and wide-ranging intelligence, we have had an astoundingly good response from authors and audiences alike. Despite the hideous weather, people have been coming in incredibly eager numbers, hungrier than ever for the sustenance we offer, from the most famous names in the world to the brand new. We have had a great sense of engagement and enquiry across the whole range of the programme, including little-known authors visiting the UK for the first time. There could hardly be a better anniversary present."
24 August 2008
Groundbreaking dialogue between two Cities of Literature
This morning saw a live audio-visual satellite broadcast link the two UNESCO Cities of Literature, with events beamed from opposite ends of the globe, as a reading and interview with Vietnamese writer Nam Le was beamed from the Melbourne Writer’s Festival into Charlotte Square Gardens in Edinburgh, with audience and chair questions from both Edinburgh and Melbourne. Soon after, Salman Rushdie, speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, appeared on screens in Melbourne’s central square, and answered his first question from Australian novelist Rodney Hall in Melbourne.
It was announced just two days ago that Melbourne has followed Edinburgh to become the second City of Literature, as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities network.
Nam Le read from his stunning prose work The Boat, before answering questions from the watching Edinburgh audience. Soon to have his work published in the UK for the first time by Edinburgh press Canongate Books, Le spoke about a sense of place and identity infiltrating his work. Born in Vietnam but raised in Australia, Le said of Melbourne, “this is a city that is just absolutely steeped in letters and literature”.
Catherine Lockerbie then introduced the three times Booker Prize winner and 2008 nominee Salman Rushdie to packed audiences in both Edinburgh and Melbourne, saying “Words will whizz in some magical manner across thousands of miles”. He read from his latest novel, The Enchantress of Florence, before answering questions from Australian and Edinburgh audiences in turn. Rushdie spoke of restoring stories to the centre of literary fiction, inspired by the storytelling culture of his Indian childhood. He commended the comic book genre for retelling the same stories today, and teaching narratives to a new generation.
Jan McGuinness, director of the Melbourne Festival, remarked to Catherine Lockerbie, “We’ve always regarded your festival as an older sister.” Ali Bowden, manager of Edinburgh’s City of Literature team, chaired the Edinburgh end of the Nam Lee event. She remarked, “It is fantastic that we can have this live link, in the same week that Melbourne has become the second City of Literature. Communication is essential to what we want to achieve as promoters of literacy in our own cities, and internationally.”
24 August 2008
Russian author speaks out on Georgia
Arkady Babchenko, Russian journalist and author, spoke out against the conflict in Georgia at the Anna Politkovskaya Memorial Event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today. Currently working as a journalist for Novaya Gazeta, he was unable to attend the event having been called away to report from South Ossetia, however in a specially recorded video message he spoke of his frustration of the lack of change in the thirteen years since he was a young army conscript in Chechnya. “The Georgian army had great technical equipment and in our army we have 18 year old boys. We are repeating the same mistakes we made in Afghanistan and in the first and second Chechen war. It is still the same. In Grozny our soldiers burnt to death in their tanks, and in Tskhinvali the same thing happened. Nothing changes, for me this is very difficult.”
Recalling his own experiences in Chechnya, Babchenko explained why he had written his book, One Soldier’s War in Chechnya. “Actually I don’t see myself as a writer. For me, the stories about the war in Chechnya were a form of psychological rehabilitation. I didn’t choose the topic – the topic chose me. I am not sure how I got caught up in this type of reporting – I actually wanted to write children’s books, but I have been writing about the war now for nine years.”
On stage in Charlotte Square gardens, Norwegian foreign correspondent Åsne Seierstad spoke of her concern for the children in Grosny who have known nothing but war. She told the capacity audience of a 12 year old boy called Timor who had lost his family in the war and was living on the streets. She said that the only thing that makes him feel good is killing – dogs, cats and pigeons. When asked why, he responded “It makes me feel strong and invulnerable”. She went on to say “When childhood is destroyed by war, you can’t put the pieces together with a warm bed and glass of milk. A war cannot be won in a minute, a day, or a month and the aftermath of war is paid for by the children and who they will become when they grow up.”
In conversation with BBC Foreign Correspondent, Alan Little, Seierstad spoke about the changes in Russia since she first started reporting from Moscow in the early 90’s. She felt there was a huge change in the mentality of the Russian people, following the sense of humiliation in the 90s when they felt they were living in a country with nothing to be proud of – the politics and the ideology fell apart with the fall of the Soviet Union, adding that Putin plays on the nationalism of the Russians, and the pride in the symbolism of the Mother Russia, leaving many citizens suspicious of foreigners, particularly the British who are heavily criticised in the Russian media. There is no free press, and nobody speaks out against the administration. Little commented “The Russian retreat from democracy has democratic support because the Russian people associate democracy with the chaos, poverty and corruption of the Yeltsin years.”
Arkady Babchenko's full video message is available to watch here.
22 August 2008
General Sir Mike Jackson defends his part in the amalgamation of Scottish regiments
Career soldier General Sir Mike Jackson spoke of his experiences in conflicts from Northern Ireland to Iraq in a packed event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this afternoon. He talked of balancing political and military aims, and said he believed that political problems cannot be solved by military means.
He called Bosnia an “ugly, dirty war” and spoke about the pattern of military intervention that has developed since the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union and believed that the success of British military intervention in Kosovo convinced the British Government that such action was not only possible, but could be a powerful tool and that the “Brits were good at it”.
Asked about his part in the amalgamation of the Scottish infantry regiments, he commented that he thought “Many a Scots pin has been stuck in the Jackson effigy” but defended the decision saying that the Treasury had insisted in a cut of 18 battalions from a total strength of 40. He was aware that the changes had been very painful and emotional, particularly in Scotland, however it was necessary to create a system of large, multi-battalion regiments where soldiers could move between battalions without suffering any sort of identity crisis. A concession deliberately made by the Army Board was to allow the old regimental names to come in front of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, in the knowledge of the particular tribal strength of the Scottish regiments.
Answering a member of the audience’s question as to why Britain has not intervened in Zimbabwe, he said that he thought what was happening in Zimbabwe was outrageous, but not as outrageous as events in the Balkans. He said that although he believed a military action would be successful, he very much doubted that politically it was possible, commenting that to many Africans Mugabe is still seen as the man who finally put the boot into the white backside, and intervention from a predominantly white, and British, military force even for the very best of motives, would be a political nightmare.
22 August 2008
Melboune announced as the world's second UNESCO City of Literature
The world’s second City of Literature has been announced today. Melbourne, state capital of Victoria and Australia’s cultural capital, joins Edinburgh in the global network of UNESCO Creative Cities. Glasgow also joined this week as a City of Music.
Ian Rankin, Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trustee said “We’re really pleased to be linking up with a city on the other side of the world, building a stronger relationship between Edinburgh and Melbourne.”
A pioneering live link between the two Cities of Literature is scheduled for Sunday, when three times Booker Prize winner, Salman Rushdie’s event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival will be broadcast live to the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in Australia. Nam Le, the renowned Vietnamese author, will be broadcast to an audience in Charlotte Square live from his event in Melbourne.
Catherine Lockerbie, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival said “I’m delighted that Melbourne is joining Edinburgh and especially pleased that we will be celebrating the designation at the Edinburgh International Book Festival with the world’s first live satellite link-up between the two Cities of Literature on opposite sides of the globe – a truly exciting prospect.”
The Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust held a Cities of Literature conference in Edinburgh earlier in the week in conjunction with the British Council, which was attended by representatives from 18 countries, including four cities bidding to be a City of Literature – Vancouver, Dublin, Iowa City and Kolkata.
21 August 2008
Pioneering live link between the world's two Cities of Literature - Edinburgh and Melbourne
In a pioneering world first, the Edinburgh International Book Festival will exchange events live via a satellite link-up with the world’s second UNESCO City of Literature this weekend, when Nam Le, one of the most highly praised new writers of recent years, will speak at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival in Australia and will be broadcast live to an audience in Charlotte Square.
At 10.00am on Sunday 24 August in Charlotte Square Gardens, this special free event will feature Nam Le launching The Boat, his hugely acclaimed debut collection of stories. The audience in Edinburgh will be able to ask Nam Le questions live at the end of the event. In this unique exchange, the Book Festival will then transmit three times Booker Prize winner, and 2008 nominee, Salman Rushdie’s Edinburgh event to Melbourne, over 10,000 miles across the other side of the planet, with the Australian audience able see the event on screen and again to participate in the question and answer session at the end of the event.
The link between the two festivals and cities is strengthened by the announcement this week of Melbourne’s designation as the second UNESCO City of Literature after Edinburgh – the world’s first.
Catherine Lockerbie, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival said: “We are passionate about making possible things which would otherwise be impossible – as we did last year with our LongPen long-distance signing with Norman Mailer. This is another way of bringing writers together with readers, even if they are literally on the other side of the world. I have been very excited about Nam Le since I first heard about his work – and I am delighted that even though he is in Australia, we will be able to bring him into the heart of our festival. I’m equally pleased that the Melbourne audience will be able to be part of our event with Salman Rushdie and we can link these two World Cities of Literature on opposite sides of the globe.”
17 August 2008
Chuck Palahniuk and his blow-up dolls
An unusual sight took hold of Charlotte Square Gardens on Saturday night as hundreds of people were caught in loving embraces with mass-produced goods of the adult entertainment variety, commonly known as blow-up dolls. But this was no Fringe show. Instead, fans of Fight Club cult-author Chuck Palahniuk came to the Edinburgh International Book Festival to hear the infamous literary provocateur talk about his latest book, Snuff, in which he explores the story of a porn priestess determined to break the world record for serial fornication.
In a packed venue, where just minutes before Edinburgh’s crème de la crème had spent a charming hour listening to the pleasant musings of the city’s most loved literary gentleman, Alexander McCall Smith, eager young faces gasped in excitement as Chuck threw flattened dolls into the air and asked the audience to “participate” by blowing them up as fast as they could. And how they did. And how they bonded. People encouraged lucky doll grabbers to use their utmost physical prowess to bring these props to life. Mobile phone cameras were shooting away. Text messages were sent to friends who had missed the sold out event.
And then the serious erudite debate began. Chuck asked how many people in the theatre had never been to a literary event. About a third of them raised their hands. “They’re all like this”, retorted Chuck in a deadpan manner, “Charles Dickens used to do exactly what I’m doing right now”. A natural storyteller, Chuck enlightened the audience with modern interpretations of the biblical fish and loaves tale and one very long, vivid and graphic description of a man having a finger snapped by an airport baggage carousel. When probed about his choice of themes and narrative style, judged as too shocking by parts of the book industry, Chuck explained he was particularly interested in the nature of reality. “A book should reach you not only intellectually and emotionally but also physically”, he added, saying that looking for stories with very strong physical depictions was a method of fashioning images that become unforgettable – “The mind does not unlearn things very easily, so if you set a vivid physical scene that’s something that stays with you forever”.
So what makes a respected author write about serial fornication? Apparently the strain of book festivals, it seems. “I got the idea sitting at a signing with 2,000 people under the age of 25 trying to impress me with their handshakes. At the end of it your hand really hurts”. Ironically, a three-hour signing queue awaited him. To kill the boredom of such a long wait, a group of young people dressed one of their dolls with a kilt made out of copies of The London Review of Books. “We’re going to have such a laugh with this on the train back to Glasgow”, they said.
16 August 2008
Unique publication by the Book Festival
The Edinburgh International Book Festival today launched its own new book of specially commissioned work from four of Scotland’s most internationally acclaimed and award-winning authors. For the first time in its 25 year history, the Book Festival is commissioning, publishing and touring writers, as well as presenting their work within the world’s premier book festival, thanks to support from the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund.
John Burnside, Janice Galloway, A L Kennedy and Don Paterson – who have won a remarkable array of Scottish, UK and international literary awards – have created new stories and poems for the new publication, Lights Off The Quay. The authors read from their work in a special, sold-out event today, introduced by Minister for Culture Linda Fabiani, and attended by members of the public as well as 80 international delegates brought to the festival by the British Council. The event will be available to view on the audio recordings section of our website in a few days.
In the autumn, the authors will tour to Norway where they will be part of the programme of Stavanger 2008 European Capital of Culture. The Scottish director of Stavanger’s Year of Culture, Mary Miller, attended today’s celebrations.
Linda Fabiani said “Lights Off The Quay is exactly the kind of opportunity we established the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund for – to showcase Scottish-based talent at the Festivals and beyond. These very talented authors are fantastic ambassadors for Scotland and will be demonstrating to readers across the world that Scotland’s strong literary tradition is thriving.”
Catherine Lockerbie, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival said “This is an incredibly exciting project, a whole new development for the festival. I was overjoyed to be able to commission these four writers, who represent the very best of contemporary writing, and even more overjoyed when they all instantly agreed. The work they have produced is quite breathtaking – testimony to the extraordinary literary talent present in Scotland.”
15 August 2008
Alan Johnston on his "vast psychological battle"
BBC correspondent Alan Johnston spoke at the Edinburgh International Book Festival last night about the "vast psychological battle" of his 4 months in captivity at the hands of the Army of Islam in Gaza last year – at an event he deemed to be "probably his last" talking about the subject.
The audience were gripped by every one of Johnston’s clear and astonishingly calm words as he recounted his 114 days in isolation, how he maintained his mental strength by listening to the worldwide media campaign for his freedom on the radio, his remarkable release, and the aftermath since: "the whole extraordinary fanfare".
Johnston led the audience through his 4-month ordeal step-by-step, recalling the turning point in his confinement – access to a radio in the fifth week of his captivity. The first news bulletin he heard reported that the Army of Islam were claiming to have executed him. Recounting this to the audience, he quietly stated, "It was the most shocking thing I hope I will ever hear in my life". Fearing that they’d made the announcement in anticipation, Johnston spent the following night in the dark, awake, waiting. The next three months were a waiting game that intensified as tensions increased between Johnston’s Army of Islam kidnappers and Hamas. His wrists and ankles were manacled, wearing a red suit ("the Guantanamo way"), Johnston was told repeatedly his throat would be cut on live television.
Worldwide media campaigns for his freedom, led by Johnston’s parents, kept him going through "4 months buried alive in the worst corner I could imagine… If you’re a kidnap victim, what you fear most is being buried alive while the world forgets about you." Johnston recalled, smiling, his security advisor’s joke prior to the kidnapping – "There’ll be no ransom for you – it’s all BBC license payers’ money!"
Johnston spoke repeatedly of the importance of mental strength and positivism during the "vast psychological battle in a wasteland of time. I didn’t win all the time. I had this idea from the beginning that this was the great psychological test of my life and I will judge myself after", imagining future self-confrontation: "the big questions were asked in Gaza, and how did you respond?"
Upon returning home, walking into his kitchen, and seeing his parents for the first time since their endless campaign for his release, Johnston simply uttered "I’m the same, I’m the same, I’m the same."
Asked by chair Sheena McDonald about the post-traumatic effect of the ordeal, Johnston explained that the nightmares slowly subsided. "I feel like I got quite a lot older and lost quite a lot of energy in that room… There was a raft of things I saw…to lose your freedom entirely [was] a dark education". He quotes John McCarthy: "It makes you more empathetic", adding "there’s a whole darker side of life I’ve been given access to."
Johnston revealed the most important words he’d heard, with the exception of his parents’ radio broadcasts, were from former hostage Terry Waite, who said "The mind and body are remarkable things; you’ll find you have more strength than you’d imagined." Johnston is embarrassed to be mentioned in the same breath as Waite, McCarthy and Brian Keenan. "I did 4 months, they did 4 years. I met Brian Keenan and he kindly said '4 minutes is enough with those guys'." Johnston was similarly humble regarding the case of Ingrid Betancourt’s 6 years in captivity. "I was there for 4 months – it was like a long weekend in comparison."
Describing his first work as a war correspondent in Armenia, in a conflict Johnston likened to the current situation in Georgia, he remembered realising his job was vital: "In an environment where people kill and are prepared to die, the stories seemed so profoundly worth telling." He dismissed personal allegiance at the time –"I’m only here to tell the world what they do to each other" – and continues to do so. "The Beeb was able to build a narrative around me – I was the one Western correspondent in Palestine, telling the story." It seems fitting that Johnston’s story itself has become, in his words, "worth telling".
13 August 2008
Dimbleby talks of the absurdity of Georgia “poking the backside of the Russian bear”
Journalist, broadcaster and author Jonathan Dimbleby spoke of his fascinating 10,000 mile journey across Russia in front of a capacity audience at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today.
He spoke of feeling daunted before the journey, having been brought up with the conviction that Russia was the adversary and a difficult place to travel. He said “Russia is filled with torment and filled with extremes. When meeting people it was difficult to get through the carapace of surface hostility without drinking my own body weight in vodka.”
He touched on the current situation in Georgia, saying the President of Georgia had a great deal to answer for – and talked of the absurdity of Georgia taking a penknife and poking the backside of the Russian bear. He said “Saakashvili was in position but not in power, Putin was always in power.” He continued “Russia is a kleptocracy, a country run by a gang, a clan, a clique. The media is muzzled and it is the third most dangerous country in the world for national journalists after Iraq and Burma” adding that the western world needs to realise “how deep the autocratic rule has driven into the soul of Russia with the consent of the majority”. He commented that Stalin regarded Ivan the Terrible as his hero, Putin was originally quoted as taking Peter the Great as his hero, but seems to have changed to Stalin.
He added that Putin appears to have brought a sense of security to Russia in the way that there was a sense of security in Stalin’s time, contrasting with the deep insecurity brought about by the collapse of the Soviet Union. He was scathing about Boris Yeltsin saying “Yeltsin was responsible for Putin – and Putin is not good news”, but believed Gorbachev was one of the great men of the 20th Century – and it was an act of great statesmanship to liberate Eastern Europe, although it will take a long time for Russia to see and understand that.
Asked about the revival of religion in the country he talked about the Russian Church which he thinks has revived nationalism, verging on dangerous xenophobia, and believes that the Church will endorse wholeheartedly the Russian intervention in Georgia. “The Church suborned to the Tsar, and suborned to the Soviet and has now aligned itself to Putin’s state. The Patriarch advised the faithful to vote for Putin in the recent parliamentary elections.”
13 August 2008
Synott & Steele discuss "imperial occupation" of Iraq
Leading British diplomat, Sir Hilary Synott and Guardian correspondent Jonathan Steele criticised the lack of planning for occupation and accused the Government of ignoring Arabist expert advice prior to the invasion of Iraq, at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today. Marking the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the speakers discussed the “Armchair Government” where ministers had no organised briefing structure and felt that much of the planning was done "on the fly".
They discussed what went wrong, whilst the invasion was thought to be a success and Saddam was removed from power, the subsequent occupation has not worked. Steele commented that it was interesting that the two countries with the longest history of interference in the Middle East for their own ends – Britain and America – expected to be welcomed into Iraq. They both noted that the lack of either a British or American Embassy in the country following the first Iraq war in 1991 had resulted in no expertise on the ground, and a total lack of understanding at Government level of the implications of removing Saddam and of the effects of twelve years of UN sanctions.
Steele commented that whilst the death of Saddam had been widely welcomed it didn’t translate into gratitude to the occupiers. The failure to produce essential services, and no firm date for withdrawal from the US Government has resulted in this being perceived on the ground as an imperial occupation.
13 August 2008
Former Ambassador accuses Foreign Office of covering up human rights abuses
Former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who lost his job at the Foreign Office in 2005 for exposing human rights abuses, yesterday accused his former colleagues at the highest level of covering up acts of torture committed in the name of British citizens.
Speaking before a packed audience at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Murray drew comparisons between the apathetic attitude towards intelligence gathering practices in Iraq and Guantanamo and the days of the Second World War. "Back then we couldn’t understand how the Nazis could commit those atrocities. But when I asked friends of mine, senior people at the Foreign Office, how they could live with the idea of torture and extraordinary renditions they would retort back ‘I’m only doing my job'".
Murray pointed the finger at British police for not pursuing allegations that flights stopping at Prestwick were carrying suspected terrorists and snubbed the idea that the authorities didn’t have enough legal leeway or evidence to do so. "In Uzbekistan we knew exactly which planes were being used for carrying prisoners illegally but when we phoned Prestwick Airport with that information, in advance of those flights landing in Scotland, Strathclyde police refused to go on board to search for evidence, despite having the legal right to inspect any aircraft that is stationary on British soil."
Murray slated the state of civil liberties in the UK and labelled New Labour’s anti-terrorist laws as a major step back in democratic values."There are plenty of former British colonies that have held on to civil liberties that used to exist in this county – you don’t have Ghana suspending Habeas Corpus and detaining people without charges for 42 days, for instance".
With trademark good humour and wit, Murray felt he should justify his appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival despite his new book not being yet on the shelves due to legal challenges: "After inviting Gordon Brown and John Prescott the Book Festival wanted to invite a speaker that wasn’t a war criminal".
12 August 2008
John Prescott speaks at the Book Festival
John Prescott, former Deputy Prime Minister, spoke at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this afternoon on his career in the Labour Party and in the Government. The conversation with Ian McWhirter in front of a capacity audience, was entertaining and wide-ranging, covering topics such as the environment, Iraq and the current leadership situation, where Prescott, in typically ebullient form, retorted “Who?” when David Milliband’s name was mentioned.
Asked about the Prime Minister, and his public image, he said “I’ve heard people ask why Gordon doesn’t smile – well they used to say that about me, but when you get into an airplane you don’t look to see if the pilot is smiling, you ask if he can take off and land the plane safely.”
He spoke of revealing that he suffered from bulimia, saying that when he announced he was a diabetic it had raised awareness of the illness which impelled his decision to come out as a bulimic. He believes the public attitude to the illness has been revolutionised as a result, especially amongst men.
He laughed off his “Two Jags” nickname, saying that although he had never previously been a two jags man – the second car had belonged to the Government – he had actually just bought a second Jaguar.
9 August 2008
Prime Minister opens 25th Anniversary Book Festival
The Prime Minister opened the 25th Anniversary Edinburgh International Book Festival this morning in a sold-out, wide-ranging and warmly received interview with Edinburgh author, Ian Rankin. Commenting on the crucial role of the Book Festival in fostering political debate, he reminisced on his first visit to the inaugural Edinburgh International Book Festival in 1983 – the year he first stood as an MP.
Discussing his books Courage and Everyday Heroes, Gordon Brown talked of the importance of restoring democracy to Burma and paid tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi, saying he wanted to see her free. Pressed to identify the quality of courage, he described it as a determination to bring about change regardless of danger to self. He professed the depths of his admiration of Nelson Mandela as an example of this – and remarked on how Mandela remained without bitterness despite all that had happened to him.
An important theme of the discussion was the cultural changes, coming from the community as well as the government, required in the 21st century to take forward the great gains of the 20th century – the ending of imperialism, fascism and the Cold War. He spoke of how the global financial crisis made the great causes of eliminating poverty and hunger more and not less pressing, in an increasingly interlinked world.
Brown spoke of his belief that the many connections at every level between Scotland and the rest of the UK made independence an unviable option – and that issues such as climate change and global security affected every part of our island equally.
Catherine Lockerbie, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival said "It was an honour and a delight to have the Prime Minister speak at the first event of our special anniversary festival – something we've been working on for some months. The conversation with Ian Rankin was highly engaging: wide-ranging, passionate, personal and political and allowed the audience to see the real qualities of Gordon Brown. It was a very successful event with a warm and positive response from the audience. We couldn't have asked for a better or more appropriate opening."
Ian Rankin said "It was nice to see Gordon Brown somewhere other than Stark’s Park and to find him relaxed and chatty after his summer break."
8 August 2008
Pioneering live link to Australia
In a pioneering world first, the Edinburgh International Book Festival will exchange events live via a satellite link-up with the Melbourne Writers’ Festival over 10,000 miles across the other side of the planet.
One of the most highly praised new writers of recent years, Vietnamese-born Nam Le, will speak in Australia in an event transmitted live onto screen in Edinburgh – and the Scottish audience will be able to participate in the question and answer session. At 10am on Sunday 24 August in Charlotte Square Gardens, this special free event will feature Nam Le launching The Boat, his hugely acclaimed debut collection of stories, published by Canongate. International praise includes major Scottish author William Boyd who describes it as “breathtakingly assured”.
In this unique exchange, the Book Festival will then transmit three times Booker winner, and 2008 nominee, Salman Rushdie’s Edinburgh event to Melbourne, with the Australian audience again able to participate in the question and answer session at the end of the event.
The link between the two festivals and cities is strengthened by Melbourne’s ambition to become the second UNESCO City of Literature after Edinburgh – the world’s first. An announcement is expected in a matter of weeks on the designation, part of what will become a network of Cities of Literature across the world, led by Edinburgh.
Catherine Lockerbie, director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival said: “We are passionate about making possible things which would otherwise be impossible – as we did last year with our LongPen long-distance signing with Norman Mailer. This is another way of bringing writers together with readers, even if they are literally on the other side of the world. I have been very excited about Nam Le since I first heard about his work – and I am delighted that even though he is in Australia, we will be able to bring him into the heart of our festival. I’m equally pleased that the Melbourne audience will be able to be part of our event with Salman Rushdie."
29 July 2008
Man Booker longlist authors at Book Festival
Edinburgh International Book Festival is delighted to welcome five of the longlisted authors for the prestigious Man Booker Prize to Charlotte Square Gardens this summer. Visitors to the Book Festival will have the chance to hear Sebastian Barry (21 August), Linda Grant (23 August), Mohammed Hanif (12 August) and Philip Hensher (13 August) speak about their latest books. Salman Rushdie (24 August), who won the Prize with Midnight’s Children in 1981, the Booker of Bookers in 1993 and the Best of the Booker earlier this year, will present his new, longlisted novel, The Enchantress of Florence.
In addition, the Book Festival is holding an event on Saturday 23 August to celebrate 40 years of the Man Booker Prize, where Margaret Atwood, winner in 2000, 2008 judge and novelist Louise Doughty, and John Mullan, judge for The Best of the Booker, will consider the impact of the prize, considered to be the most important literary award in the English language.
Catherine Lockerbie, Director of the Book Festival, said “This is a wonderfully diverse and interesting list, and quite unexpected, with some major literary names left off and some fresh new names in there alongside Booker veterans. I'm delighted that five of these authors will be appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this summer - big literary names but also lesser known authors I chose for the excellence of their fiction as well as their vital and eye-opening perspectives on other cultures. It is particularly gratifying when new work and international work, which we champion at EIBF, is given the seal of approval of the Man Booker Prize also.”
"I'm specially pleased that one of the debut novelists in our wide-ranging East and West series, Mohammed Hanif - a Pakistani-born writer - has been chosen. And it goes without saying that the giant on the list is Salman Rushdie. I am personally overjoyed to see him there - it would have been unthinkable not to include him. He has of course already twice been voted the Booker of Bookers, with Midnight's Children; and his latest novel The Enchantress of Florence is as rich, sumptuous and captivating as his very finest work.”
23 June 2008
Record sales for Book Festival
The first weekend of ticket sales for the Edinburgh International Book Festival has resulted in a 24% increase on 2007, with over 16% of the programme already sold out. Sales of high profile events such as Sean Connery, Margaret Atwood, Alex Salmond and Jonathan Dimbleby were not unexpected, but Book Festival staff are delighted that some of the lesser known authors such as Bernardo Atxaga from the Basque region of Spain, and home grown talent such as Andrew Crumey and Andrew Greig are also proving popular.
Sean Connery & Murray Grigor's launch of Being A Scot on Monday 25th August was the first - and fastest ever - event to sell out, with all tickets snapped up within an hour of going on sale. The previous fastest selling event was Muriel Spark's appearance in 2004 which sold out in two hours.
Catherine Lockerbie, Director of the Book Festival said "The Book Festival offers something for everyone, whether you are an aspiring novelist, interested in literature, poetry or politics. We are delighted by the phenomenal response particularly as interest appears to be right across the programme. It is my passion to make this the most international, illuminating, engaging, argumentative and inspiring celebration of words and ideas anywhere in the world. Our audience is embracing this diversity."
The Book Festival website received 300,000 hits in the first hour of ticket sales, and internet sales over the first weekend have increased by 63% on last year. While a number of events are sold out, with over 750 events in the programme, there is still plenty to see and do. In the adult programme, tickets for Catherine O'Flynn, winner of the Costa First Novel award, Andrew O'Hagan, Rick Wakeman, The Ukraine's Andrey Kurkov and Irvine Welsh are all still available while the RBS Children's Programme has a wide range of events and workshops suitable for all ages from toddler to teenager.
20 June 2008
Best ever sales in 25 years of Book Festival
Sean Connery's Book Festival appearance sells out in under an hour
The Edinburgh International Book Festival has today experienced an unprecedented demand for tickets and Sean Connery and Murray Grigor's appearance in Charlotte Square Gardens on 25 August sold out within the first hour. Other events which sold out this morning include Tony Benn, BBC Journalist Alan Johnston, Margaret Atwood, Alexander McCall Smith, Ian Rankin, Jonathan Dimbleby and Scotland's First Minster, Alex Salmond.
The 2008 Book Festival programme is the biggest ever with over 800 authors appearing in Charlotte Square Gardens, and highlights include appearances from Salman Rushdie, Alan Sillitoe, Menzies Campbell and Louis de Bernierès.
The quality of the programme and the special nature of the events - each event is a one-off and takes place in a relatively intimate venue - combined with comparatively low ticket prices has meant that the demand has been incredible with 300,000 hits on the Book Festival website in the first hour of bookings, and over 21,000 telephone calls - levels usually associated with rock festivals and major international superstar line-ups.
345 customers were queuing outside the specially created Box Office at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre at 10.00am when bookings opened. Peter Lomax from Edinburgh was first in the queue having waited outside the EICC from 6.30am this morning. He was looking for tickets for Salman Rushdie, Richard Dawkins and Sean Connery - and was delighted to be able to purchase all his choices.
Press coverage following the launch of the programme on 12 June was extensive, with more international coverage than ever before which has created interest in the Festival from around the world.
Catherine Lockerbie, Director of the Book Festival said "It is enormously gratifying that literary stars and unknown authors from Scotland and further afield are able to attract such extraordinary interest."
"This year we have invested a significant amount of time, staff and financial resource to develop a system to cope with the demand and we are delighted that we have been able to deal with so many customers satisfactorily this morning. All our systems are working well and we have been taking ticket sales over the telephone, the internet and at the EICC consistently since 10.00am. We know that due to the extraordinary demand a large number of potential customers are finding it difficult to get through on the phone or via the internet, and would ask them to be patient and keep trying."
12 June 2008
RBS Children's Programme; from Kipper to Discworld
The RBS Children's Programme of the Edinburgh International Book Festival launched today with a comprehensive programme offering events, workshops and discussions for every age-group from toddlers to teenagers. The programme will run as an integral part of the International Book Festival in Charlotte Square Gardens from 9 to 25 August.
Highlights of the programme this year include Good Night Mister Tom author Michelle Magorian's first book for ten years, and exclusive peeks at new books from Eoin Colfer, Julia Donaldson, Michael Morpurgo, Andy Stanton and Jonathan Stroud. James Jauncey's first book has just been nominated for the Royal Mail Scottish Children's Book of the Year, and he will be reading from his new novel The Reckoning while Francesca Simon will be joined by the voice of Horrid Henry - award-winning actress Miranda Richardson.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and there are many other birthdays on offer in the RBS Children's Programme. Kipper turns 18, Terry Pratchett's Discworld is 25, The Beano celebrates 70 years, and the Ian Fleming Centenary closes the Festival. Our series of Bond-related events includes the launch of the newest, and last, Young Bond adventure from Charlie Higson.
‘Stories from Around the World' brings a strong international theme to the RBS Children's Programme this year. Over twenty inspiring children's authors from every continent will be in attendance. Authors from Hong Kong, Australia, Senegal, Mexico and Poland will visit Charlotte Square Gardens to share the literature, fables, myths and folklore of cultures past and present.
Sara Grady, Director of the RBS Children's Programme said "Our 2008 programme for children, teenagers and young people promises a summer of action, adventure and exploration. In our 25th year, we are delighted to celebrate a great tradition of Scottish, British and international children's literature and encourage readers of all ages to explore words, discover stories and experiment with new ideas.
"We have expanded our children's programme to include a vast array of events for all ages, tastes and talents in 2008. Insatiable fact finders can join us on a hunt for dinosaurs, missing treasure, lost civilisations, and explore the natural world with events on science, maths, history, archaeology, outer space, magic and more. Our inaugural art & design strand features some of the greatest illustrators, graphic novelists and innovative filmmakers working today, while a raft of new faces in children's and young adult literature peppered throughout the programme are ripe for discovery. So join us this August and celebrate a cornucopia of books, stories, words and ideas that lift the spirit and open the mind."
OLDER TEENAGERS & YOUNGER ADULTS
Following the success of the events suitable for older teenagers and younger adults in the 2007 programme, the series has been expanded this year to include events on graphic novels featuring Posy Simmonds, Dave McKean and Paul Gravett, Paul Kieve, master magician and Physical Magical Consultant on the Harry Potter films, will take his audience on a tour of great magicians past and present and Roddy Woomble will present the first live performance of his new album. Events for young people (16 - 25) are highlighted within the adult programme and are searchable on the website.
12 June 2008
Book Festival celebrates 25 years of excellence
Catherine Lockerbie today celebrated 25 years of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, announcing the biggest and most international programme ever. The packed series of literary and political events taking place in Charlotte Square Gardens this August culminates with a world exclusive: the launch of one of the most eagerly anticipated books for years, the long-awaited memoirs of Sean Connery, Being A Scot. In the city of his birth, and on his birthday, Sir Sean will be in discussion with his co-author, distinguished Scottish film-maker Murray Grigor on the final day of this year's Book Festival.
Sir Sean's appearance also marks a James Bond presence in this, the 100th anniversary year of Ian Fleming's birth. Author and comedian Charlie Higson will launch the fifth and final episode of his hugely successful Young Bond series, while we also present the authorised biography of Ian Fleming, For Your Eyes Only.
Running from 9 to 25 August, with a record 800 authors participating in over 750 events, this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival welcomes specially invited guests from over 45 countries, with over 200 Scottish authors also taking part. Major literary names include Salman Rushdie, Louis de Bernières, Margaret Atwood, Alan Sillitoe in his 80th birthday year and Hanif Kureishi. A powerful line up of politicians, political commentators and foreign correspondents includes John Prescott, Alex Salmond, Menzies Campbell, Tony Benn, Jonathan Powell, David Owen, Gavin Esler, Jonathan Dimbleby, Polly Toynbee, Martin Bell, Alan Johnston, Matt Frei and Kate Adie.
A special 25th Anniversary opening event will feature a major public figure revealed in a new light in conversation with Ian Rankin. The mystery guest will be announced on Friday 8 August, the day before the Festival opens.
Special themes include Focus on China, in this Olympic year, bringing the finest writers on and from the world's most populous country. To mark the 60th Anniversary of the founding of Israel, and the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, our East and West and War and Terror series bring world experts to Edinburgh to examine, in depth, relations between the west and the Islamic world.
Catherine Lockerbie said: "I am overjoyed that so many authors, from the most renowned to brand new writers being heard here for the first time, have accepted our invitation to come and be part of our intricately constructed 25th anniversary Festival. It is my passion to make this the most international, illuminating, engaging, argumentative and inspiring celebration of words and ideas anywhere in the world. I hope the pressing issues and powerful individual voices in this year's programme reflect that ambition, a fitting one for Edinburgh, the first UNESCO City of Literature, and the world's greatest festival city."
Culture Minister Linda Fabiani said: "The 25th anniversary Edinburgh International Book Festival is a great addition to the city's wider festival programme, which again looks firmly set to be an outstanding, world class Festival in its own right. The programme for this year's Book Festival is hugely impressive and I, along with many thousands of other festival goers, look forward to enjoying what's sure to be a fantastic series of events.''
The adult programme is complemented by the RBS Children's Programme, which is packed with events, workshops and debates for every age group from toddler to teenager.
Founded in 1983, the Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the world. Under Catherine Lockerbie's directorship, it has become a platform for audiences to debate with leading thinkers from the worlds of science, politics, business, economics and journalism as well as literature.
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