THE EDINBURGH International Book Festival has announced the Front List for the upcoming festival in August, with Douglas Stuart, author of the Booker Prize-winning Shuggie Bain, and 2022 novel Young Mungo, among the authors booked in.
Diana Gabaldon and Colson Whitehead are among the other literary stars set to appear at the festival.
The programme, running from August 17 to 30 at McEwan Hall and presented in partnership with Underbelly, brings together 15 headline events spanning fiction, journalism, history and performance.
Gabaldon will mark the 35th anniversary of Outlander, the novel credited, alongside its TV adaptation, with transforming Scotland’s tourism industry and screen sector.
Douglas Stuart has carved out a space as one of Scotland’s leading literary voices with novels like Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo (C) Douglas Stuart
Whitehead, whose novel The Underground Railroad won the Pulitzer Prize, will discuss race, history and the moral responsibilities of storytelling.
Stuart, whose debut Shuggie Bain took the Booker Prize, will appear in conversation with poet and former Scots Makar Jackie Kay.
BBC Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet will reflect on decades reporting from conflict zones, while journalists Lewis Goodall and Edward Wong examine the increasingly strained US-UK special relationship under President Trump.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and writer Cory Doctorow will open the series with a discussion about who holds power online and whether the internet’s early spirit of public-minded optimism can be revived.
Colson Whitehead is the author of nine novels, including his 1999 debut The Intuitionist The Underground Railroad (2016), and The Nickel Boys (2020) (C) Michael Lionstar
Crime writer Val McDermid and Geographer Royal for Scotland, Jo Sharp, will discuss their retelling of the Darien scheme – Scotland’s catastrophic 17th-century attempt to establish a colony in Panama – chaired by broadcaster Allan Little.
Historian and podcaster, Tom Holland, will explore the enduring fascination with Roman emperors, while David Olusoga will deliver the Frederick Hood Memorial Lecture on empire and Britain’s contested past.
The series also features Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, returning with her first work of fiction in 20 years, as well as novelist and public intellectual Elif Shafak and American author Ann Patchett.
Poet, novelist and musician, Kae Tempest ,will discuss language, identity and creativity, while Charlie Mackesy, author of the Academy Award-winning The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, appears in a family-friendly event.
Diana Gabaldon is known for the Outlander series of fantasy novels (C) Barbara Schell
TV presenter, Mel Giedroyc, will be joined by Sue Perkins to discuss her new novel The Comeback.
A spokesperson for the festival described their approach to curating the front list: “At a moment when public debate can often feel polarised or diminished, The Front List reflects the Festival’s belief in the value of open, inspiring and nuanced conversation.
“Bringing together readers and audiences with some of the most compelling voices of our time, the series underscores the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s position as one of the world’s leading forums for literature, ideas and public exchange.”
Tickets go on sale to Book Festival members at 10am on Wednesday and to the public from 10am on 5 May. Full details at edbookfest.co.uk
Like this:
Like Loading…
Related