Julia Donaldson and Peter May (2015 Event)

With the domination of the English language in publishing, we can often overlook what happens beyond our borders. How does a writer's work travel to other nations? How do authors keep ownership of their translations? Watch two of our finest literary exports, bestselling crime writer Peter May, whose first novel in his Lewis Trilogy was originally published in French, and Julia Donaldson, whose picture book The Gruffalo has sold worldwide.

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

Book Festival News

Celebrating the 2024 Book Festival Celebrating the 2024 Book Festival
Monday 26 August

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

Donate

Share

Watch more

Pat Barker: The Women of Troy Pat Barker: The Women of Troy Ever since winning the Booker Prize in 1995 for the third book in her Regeneration Trilogy, Pat Barker has demonstrated an uncanny ability to describe the psychology of individuals during times of conflict. In 2019 Barker published The Silence of the… Alan Johnson (2015 Event) Alan Johnson (2015 Event) Amid a slew of politicians’ memoirs in recent years, Alan Johnson’s This Boy was comfortably among the finest: one critic called it ‘the best political testament I’ve ever read’. Now the former Home Secretary returns with a… Michael Ignatieff: Consolation for Our Times Michael Ignatieff: Consolation for Our Times The historian and political theorist Michael Ignatieff began writing a book about consolation before the first lockdown. Now, our lives changed by Covid-19, and with over 80 million refugees fleeing conflicts worldwide, On Consolation feels spectacularly… David Crystal (2015 Event) David Crystal (2015 Event) A linguist and an expert on the development of the English language, David Crystal presents two books that tell us a great deal about English as it is spoken in the 21st century. You Say Potato looks at accents and our different ideas about ‘correct&… Adam Rutherford: A Scientific Scandal Adam Rutherford: A Scientific Scandal In 2020, Francis Galton’s name was removed from University College London buildings. The ‘father of eugenics’ had authored theories of selective procreation used to justify racism and genocide. Discussing his book Control: The Dark History and Troubling… Scotland's Stories Now Scotland's Stories Now Everyone has a story to tell; through stories we can make sense of our world. Earlier this year writers Andrew O’Hagan, Eleanor Thom, Ryan Van Winkle, Mae Diansangu, Roseanne Watt, Bea Webster and Siân Bevan collaborated with community groups across the… Interview - Omid Djalili (2014) Interview - Omid Djalili (2014) Acclaimed comedian and actor Omid Djalili talks about his joyously funny memoir about growing up as an Iranian in London in this interview at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival. You can also watch his sold-out Book Festival event, filmed live… Jan Carson, Fergal Keane & Aoife Moore: After Good Friday Jan Carson, Fergal Keane & Aoife Moore: After Good Friday How fragile is peace, even 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement? Three Irish writers discuss their perspectives. Jan Carson is a community arts worker and writer of The Raptures and east Belfast-set The Fire Starters; Fergal Keane was the BBC’s… Alain Mabanckou: Rewriting the Congolese Story Alain Mabanckou: Rewriting the Congolese Story On 18 March 1977 at 14.30, the third President of the People’s Republic of the Congo, Marien Ngouabi, is assassinated. In the frenzied aftermath, blame flies and ethnic divides widen, and far away, a family member is murdered for their alleged involvement… Fintan O'Toole: The Unknown Knowns of Ireland Fintan O'Toole: The Unknown Knowns of Ireland One of Ireland’s finest journalists shares an intimate account of how the country has changed during his lifetime. There are many contradictions in Ireland’s history and the title of Fintan O’Toole’s personal history, We Don’t Know Ourselves, is one of…