News Archive

Alex Salmond reopens debate over BBC

Alex Salmond reopens debate over BBC
Mon 31 August 2015

Alex Salmond reopened the debate over the BBC’s role in the independence referendum in his Book Festival event today when he said he was caught by surprise by what he claims…

Book Festival closes the chapter on its most successful programme to date

Book Festival closes the chapter on its most successful programme to date
Mon 31 August 2015

The Book Festival closes tomorrow having enjoyed the most successful year in our history. We’ve welcomed over 800 authors from 55 countries taking part in almost 800 events…

Gordon Brown accuses the Conservative Party of risking the future of the UK

Gordon Brown accuses the Conservative Party of risking the future of the UK
Mon 31 August 2015

Gordon Brown has accused the Conservative Party of “turning on the tap of English nationalism” that risked the future of the Union. Addressing a packed audience at the Book Festival…

Journalist Johann Hari calls for legalisation of drugs

Journalist Johann Hari calls for legalisation of drugs
Sun 30 August 2015

The legalisation of drugs in Scotland would cut rates of narcotics-related violence at a stroke, journalist Johann Hari has claimed…

Terry Waite delivers the Frederick Hood Memorial Lecture

Terry Waite delivers the Frederick Hood Memorial Lecture
Sat 29 August 2015

The West will have to enter into dialogue with Islamic State terrorists if it wants to stop the violence, former hostage Terry Waite has said at his Book Festival event yesterday…

Andrew O’Hagan accuses European powers of contravening human decency

Andrew O’Hagan accuses European powers of contravening human decency
Sat 29 August 2015

At his Book Festival event yesterday, author Andrew O’Hagan accused European powers of being “in convention of the most fundamental human decency” by not doing everything possible to save migrants…

Edwyn Collins to release a new album

Edwyn Collins to release a new album
Tue 25 August 2015

Edwyn Collins is going to release another album, he announced in his Book Festival event today…

National Library of Scotland to host 2015 Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship

National Library of Scotland to host 2015 Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship
Mon 24 August 2015

The National Library of Scotland has been selected to host the third Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship, it was announced at the Book Festival this evening…

James Naughtie calls Salmond’s comments on Nick Robinson “bizarre and weird”

James Naughtie calls Salmond’s comments on Nick Robinson “bizarre and weird”
Mon 24 August 2015

Alex Salmond’s attack on Nick Robinson and the BBC was “bizarre” and “weird”, said broadcaster James Naughtie at the Book Festival today…

Civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson speaks at the Book Festival

Civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson speaks at the Book Festival
Sun 23 August 2015

Civil rights campaigner Jesse Jackson said that the advance of science and technology means that nations are “no longer foreigners” but that they now had “the bigger challenge to live together.”…

Jason Burke tells the Book Festival that the West has misunderstood Islamic radicalism

Jason Burke tells the Book Festival that the West has misunderstood Islamic radicalism
Sun 23 August 2015

The British muslim teenage girls who travelled to Syria to join Islamic terrorists were looking for a “pure Islamic lifestyle”, not to commit acts of violence, said author and journalist Jason Burke…

Tony Blair branded a warmonger by Avi Shlaim at the Book Festival

Tony Blair branded a warmonger by Avi Shlaim at the Book Festival
Fri 21 August 2015

Leading academic on the Middle-East situation, Avi Shlaim, branded Tony Blair the “worst” of all the neo-conservative politicians for his “blind support” of Israel against Palestine at the Book Festival today…

Shami Chakrabarti warns against pulling out of human rights act at the Book Festival

Shami Chakrabarti warns against pulling out of human rights act at the Book Festival
Wed 19 August 2015

Leading campaigner, Shami Chakrabarti warned that the whole international system of human rights could fall "like a pack of cards" if the UK pulls out of it…

Professor Condemns Public Stigma over Mental Health today at Book Festival

Professor Condemns Public Stigma over Mental Health today at Book Festival
Tue 18 August 2015

Governments and the public have been complicit in marginalising the mentally ill allowing treatment services to be cut, a leading expert on the sociology of madness said at the Book Festival today…

Book Festival enjoys record book sales over opening weekend

Book Festival enjoys record book sales over opening weekend
Tue 18 August 2015

This year we enjoyed one of our busiest opening weekends, taking record sales in our adult and children’s bookshops…

Mexican authors offer insight into their rich literary landscape at the Book Festival

Mexican authors offer insight into their rich literary landscape at the Book Festival
Tue 18 August 2015

Pablo Soler Frost and Eduardo Antonio Parra joined our Guest Selector Gabriel Orozco to give an insider’s view on the rich literary landscape of Mexico…

James Tait Black prizes announced at the Book Festival

James Tait Black prizes announced at the Book Festival
Mon 17 August 2015

A novel that intertwines global finance, politics and personal relationships, and a biography that offers a portrait of working-class family life have won Britain’s oldest literary awards…

Author Matt Haig talks of the importance of reading and writing in maintaining mental health at the Book Festival

Author Matt Haig talks of the importance of reading and writing in maintaining mental health at the Book Festival
Mon 17 August 2015

Author Matt Haig spoke in front of a packed Book Festival audience about the importance of reading and writing in maintaining mental health…

Young people won’t struggle to succeed says Cédric Villani at the Book Festival

Young people won’t struggle to succeed says Cédric Villani at the Book Festival
Sat 15 August 2015

The future of mathematics is being damaged by a lack of willingness among young people to struggle to succeed, said Cédric Villani at his event at this year's Book Festival…

Creative worlds of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan discussed at Book Festival

Creative worlds of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan discussed at Book Festival
Sat 15 August 2015

THE creative worlds of two of literature’s greatest children’s writers, Lewis Carroll and J M Barrie, were discussed at the Book Festival this morning…

Book Festival Talks Live-Streamed on BBC Arts

Book Festival Talks Live-Streamed on BBC Arts
Fri 14 August 2015

In a collaboration with BBC Arts, 10 events from the 2015 Book Festival will be live-streamed and available on demand by BBC Arts Online in August…

Menzies Campbell and Shami Chakrabarti join debate

Menzies Campbell and Shami Chakrabarti join debate
Fri 07 August 2015

Menzies Campbell and Shami Chakrabarti will be joining the panel for our debate Security v Human Rights on Wed 19 August…

Shifting Sands to launch at the Book Festival

Shifting Sands to launch at the Book Festival
Thu 06 August 2015

Palestinian writer and lawyer Raja Shehadeh launches his book Shifting Sands at the Book Festival later this month…