John Burnside

Alexander Masters Alexander Masters' biography of homeless Stuart Shorter, Stuart: A Life Backwards, has been hailed by critics as startling, remarkable, rare, haunting and uplifting. In this utterly absorbing event from 2006, he asks how a life can follow such a troubled… George RR Martin (2014 event) Game of Thrones author George R R martin describes how he feels about the screen incarnations of his books… Edna O'Brien (2016 Event) Philip Roth called it Edna O’Brien’s masterpiece; for John Banville it’s savage, tender and true; Claire Messud described it as arduous and beautiful. The Little Red Chairs is the work of a truly great Irish writer at the height of her powers. A decade… Jeanette Winterson (2010 event) Legendary writer Jeanette Winterson inspired her audience with tremendous charm on 16 August, speaking movingly of happiness and the pursuit thereof. This brilliant event was full of intelligent questions from the audience and great energy from Winterson… SJ Watson (2015 Event) S J Watson can count Dennis Lehane and Lionel Shriver among his fans for his crime debut Before I Go to Sleep, which was later made into a movie with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. The Midlands-born author opens up a shadowy world of identity, lies and… Henning Mankell The Swedish literary all-rounder chats about his varied writing career after his sold-out 2009 Book Festival event. Find out how living half the year in Africa and the other half in Sweden has affected his outlook on life… George the Poet (2015 Event) George Mpanga is the 24 year old Cambridge-educated wordsmith who has attracted attention and accolades with his socio-political verse and urban beats, including a nomination for the BBC Music Sound of 2015… Reggie Nadelson in conversation with Ian Rankin (2010 event) In this event crime writing extraordinaire Reggie Nadelson discussed the ventures of her brilliantly believable detective, with Edinburgh’s own favourite crime writer, Ian Rankin. The charismatic pair are well worth a listen – and another listen after… Fatima Bhutto at the Edinburgh International Book Festival In this event recorded live at the 2019 Edinburgh International Book Festival, we are thrilled to welcome back Fatima Bhutto to discuss her second novel The Runaways. Published against the backdrop of the Shamima Begum controversy, Bhutto’s novel could… Maaza Mengiste: When Italy Invaded Ethiopia (2020 Event) In Maaza Mengiste’s latest novel, the shadowy nature of figures from the past is played out in complex and interlocking ways. The Shadow King is powerful, stirring historical fiction that centres women within stories of war and battle that have…