Edinburgh International Book Festival begins today – Competition today – At Out of the Blue this festival – Edinburgh Festival Fringe Pick of the Day – Comedians play Critics at football!
The 30th Edinburgh International Book Festival opens today.
In a packed programme of over 700 events, the Book Festival will welcome authors from each edition of the Granta Best of Young British Novelists List which is compiled every 10 years. Salman Rushdie, featured on the 1983 list, looks back on his career over the last 30 years while Evie Wyld discusses her inclusion on the latest 2013 list. Margaret Atwood, Gavin Esler, Kate Mosse and Neil Gaiman have been invited to select and chair a series of events on genre, the collapse of trust, women in the 21st century and the reshaping of modern fantasy respectively.
Roddy Doyle, David Peace, Linda Porter, Simon Sebag Montefiore and DBC Pierre launch their brand new books, Andrew Marr makes his first public appearance since his recovery from a stroke and Baroness Susan Greenfield discusses her life and work in the Fred Hood Memorial Event, supported by Walter Scott & Partners. John Banville, James Robertson, Antonia Fraser and Edna O’Brien all make a welcome return to Charlotte Square Gardens while up and coming writers Philipp Meyer, Eleanor Catton, Jennie Rooney and Niccolo Ammaniti discuss their new novels.
With 42 debut novels, novellas and short story collections in the programme, the Book Festival’s First Book Award, sponsored by eBooks by Sainsbury’s, offers readers the chance to discover the stars of the future and to vote for their favourite. Authors eligible for the Award include some of the most talked about new adult and young adult writers from Australia, Argentina, Germany, Italy and South Africa as well as closer to home with books set in Glasgow, Edinburgh and on the Isle of Skye.
The Edinburgh World Writers’ Conference, the ambitious programming partnership between the Book Festival and the British Council which launched with 5 events in Edinburgh last year, has now toured to 14 literary festivals around the world, from Jaipur to Trinidad, and concludes with a discussion on the future of fiction with China Mièville, Hari Kunzru and Sema Kaygusuz.
A new strand ‘Making Music’ features explorations of great composers such as Britten and Verdi as well as a celebration of the joy and importance of singing and song-writing with artists Cerys Matthews, David and Carrie Grant, Daniel Rachel and Vic Galloway who launches his new book on Fife’s Fence Collective. Ian Rankin will be in conversation with pop legends Tim Burgess and Peter Hook, and the Festival also welcomes John Taylor and Tracey Thorn.
Loads to see and do in Charlotte Square Gardens where you can of course just pop in and enjoy the atmosphere for free! There is always the possibility of getting a ticket for some sellout events by asking at the ticket desk about returns.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from Saturday 10 August to Monday 26 August 2013. Full details of the programme are available from www.edbookfest.co.uk. Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.edbookfest.co.uk or by phone on 0845 373 5888.
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Win two tickets to see Tanyalee Davis at The Assembly Rooms. In 2012 life threw Tanyalee – a life-loving, world-touring comedian – a curve ball. Five thousand miles from home, she got a life-threatening blood clot. Complications ensued. With her mother as her nurse, Tanyalee nearly lost her mind, along with her uterus.”
Enter our competition here!
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The Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street is trying hard to be part of the Festival. They have told The Edinburgh Reporter:-“Over recent years OOTB have tried our best to fully connect the drill hall to the festival, whilst still being a work place for our many studio artists and organisations. We have been a venue for both the International and Fringe Festival and this year we are extremely happy to be hosting the fabulous Forest Fringe. The Forest Fringe offer generosity and experimentation, kindness, informality with the emphasis on community and co-operation. This festival the OOTB Drill Hall will be full of the subtle creations of upcoming artists. You are warmly invited to spend time exploring the many and various – all free by donation (16th-25th August 2013 11am -11pm)”
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THE DUMB WAITER – SPARTAN ENSEMBLE WITH IAN WATT AND PAUL COMRIE
Date, Time & Price Aug 2-11 & 14-25 13:15 (1hr) & 18:55 (1hr) £8.00 (£5.00)
Venue New Town Theatre (Kitchen standing) – drama, theatre
Something’s cooking in the kitchen. One classic play, two prime quality actors, one hit recipe. Will it boil over? Watch Ben and Gus await their orders. Ian Watt and Paul Comrie serve piping hot Pinter twice daily. Explicit material warning.
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SUNDAY: COMEDIANS TAKE ON CRITICS IN ANNUAL FOOTBALL MATCH AT EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
Tomorrow SUNDAY 11 AUGUST, THE MEADOWS, KICK-OFF 3PM
The ‘critics vs comics’ football match returns to Edinburgh this year courtesy of Amnesty International with the comedians, captained by Eric Lampaert, keen to trounce the critics for a second year in a row.
The showdown will take place on Sunday 11 August in the Meadows. Kick-off 3pm.
Last year the comedians’ side, captained by Mark Watson beat the critics 4-3 in a thrilling 90 minutes of football. With the critics looking to avenge last year’s defeat, the annual game may well live up to its billing as “such a grudge match they had to get Amnesty International to referee”.
Joining captain Eric Lampaert are Barry Castagnola, Felicity Ward, Jimoen, Kai Humphries, Keith Farnan, Mark Nelson, Milton Jones, Matt Winning, Pat Monahan, Conon McKenna (of Arms, Foil and Hog), Sean Finegan (of Arms Foil and Hog). Sean Flanagan (of Arms Foil and Hog) and Daniel Sloss
The critics team includes journalists from Fest, The Guardian, The Scotsman, The British Comedy Guide, The Sun and The Independent.
Amnesty International’s Sarah Ben-Tovim, said:-“Hopefully we can help ensure that nobody’s rights are abused during the match.
“Amnesty has always had a natural affinity with journalists and artists because of our role protecting the right to freedom of expression, something they both rely on to do their jobs.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
