UNBOUND: Five Dials

Liz Lochhead: 50 Years of a Pioneering Poet Think of the people who’ve shaped Scotland’s cultural confidence and Liz Lochhead’s name will be near the top of the list. For 50 years, she’s given us glistening poetry and theatre to reflect the shifting times. Her seminal debut collection, Memo… Alberto Manguel and Miguel Syjuco (2010 event) Two writers of international significance discussing their latest novels and literary festivals… Devi Sridhar: How to Prevent (Another) Pandemic As both chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh and a highly effective social media communicator, Professor Devi Sridhar became an invaluable resource for many in the early days of the pandemic, and a household name across the country… John Gordon Sinclair (2014 event) John Gordon Sinclair continues to put distance between himself and Gregory’s Girl, the film that made his name. Two years ago he made his novel-writing debut and his second book, Blood Whispers wraps a grim tale around the CIA, Serbian gangs and a f… Ed Miliband & Ece Temelkuran: The World We Want Around the world, politics has been trending towards infantilisation. Careful discourse is often replaced by lies, media stunts and juvenile sloganeering. What can be done to recalibrate democratic discourse? Well, maybe thoughtful Book Festival discussio… A C Grayling (2015 Event) A Professor of Philosophy, A C Grayling believes that his subject shouldn’t float above in an ivory tower, but take an active role in society. His most recent published works have looked at the world in a time of war and perpetual conflict. Whether … Leïla Slimani: Sense of Self Leïla Slimani’s daring and profound thriller Lullaby was an international bestseller, winning her France's most prestigious literary prize: the Prix Goncourt. She joins the Book Festival this August to discuss two vibrant new works: The Scent of Flower… Alistair Moffat: A Tale of Zero Hour In Alistair Moffat’s ingenious thriller The Night Before Morning, the summer of 1945 finds Hitler victorious and Britain under German control. The author of more than 20 books of non-fiction, Moffat is an incisive historian and hugely popular public fig… Tracy Chevalier speaks to Clare Hunter at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Two decades after Girl with the Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier is back with another finely rendered story of women. Refusing to tend endlessly to her grieving mother after the Great War, Violet Speedwell begins a new life among the embroiderers of Winches… Val McDermid & Jo Sharp: Imagine Another Country Two years ago, inspired by Book Festival discussions about the necessity of imagination for political change, Val McDermid and Geographer Royal for Scotland Jo Sharp invited a diverse group of people to share their ideas. This summer a post-pandemic secon…