It may be that some events are already sold out, although you can queue for returns, but in any event here is our choice of what you might try to see at the Book Festival…
A L KENNEDY 21 August 18:30 The Blue Book, her first novel since 2007, is described as ‘a fiction which may not always be lying’ the novel seems to be a love story involving a fake medium. If you have ever heard Kennedy speaking at any time then you will know that she is probably one of the funniest people alive. The Reporter has had that pleasure, and will be trying to get along to hear her pithy humour in Charlotte Square.
TAM DALYELL 17 August 18:30 The Importance of Being Awkward is Dalyell’s memoir of his contributions to politics including his vocal opposition to military intervention in the Falklands and Iraq, as well as his ‘West Lothian question’. And awkward he was too, the grandfather of the house until his retirement in recent years, and Labour MP for West Lothian for a very long time.
HEATHER BROOKE 29 August 15:30 In The Revolution Will be Digitised, Brooke explores the WikiLeaks phenomenon, with her investigations taking her way beyond, poking around the brave new internet world of hackers, whistleblowers and pro-democracy campaigners. Brooke is the impressive American journalist living in London who spent five years chasing the UK Government with her Freedom of Information requests which ultimately broke the MPs’ expenses scandal. Although the story was eventually scooped by The Telegraph who paid for the information, Brooke is pretty level-headed about this. She knows that it was her hard work which brought it about, although others may have had their share in her glory. Now she tells the story about Julian Assange and Wikileaks.
Since the Edinburgh Tram project or the lack of it seems to be the butt of all jokes this Festival time, perhaps this would be appropriate:- ROBERT DOUGLAS 29 August 20:30 Staying on Past the Terminus fictionalises the dying days of the Glasgow tram system in 1961, outside the Maryhill tenement where he grew up. So many modes of transport which were outmoded in the middle of the century to make way for the great motor car, are being proposed as the way of the future whether it is trams on our Edinburgh streets or the trains which may or may not be reinstated to the Borders
and finally
JOHN BUTLER 21 August 14:30
In Butler’s Hornby-esque The Tenderloin, a young Dubliner relocates to San Francisco just as the city logs on to the internet revolution. The Tenderloin is the very area of an otherwise safe city that you would not wish to visit. If you find yourself there then you should make your way to the nearest exit very quickly.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 13-29 August in Charlotte Square Garden.
