Interview - Holly Baxter and Rhiannon Cosslett (2014)

Howard Jacobson (2015 Event) A welcome return to Charlotte Square Gardens for the winner of the Man Booker Prize 2010 who was also shortlisted last year for his acclaimed Huxley-esque dystopian drama, J. Recently, Howard Jacobson has been reflecting in the media on one of his early… Anthony Horowitz: Shaken, Not Stirred Hugely loved author Anthony Horowitz brings us his third James Bond thriller, With a Mind to Kill. This high-octane tale presents 007 as we have never known him: accused of M’s murder, in custody and smeared as a traitor. His rescue depends on a group of… Salman Rushdie Master storyteller Salman Rushdie returned to the Book Festival in 2008 to talk about his sumptuous new novel The Enchantress of Florence with Ramona Koval. This is a short extract filmed live at the sold-out event where he describes the influences on his… Jussi Adler-Olsen (2015 Event) We were thrilled to welcome bestselling Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen to the Book Festival's home in Charlotte Square Gardens for the first time. The creator of the Department Q novels has sold over 10 million copies of his books worldwide; watch as… Marian Keyes: Family Matters Marian Keyes didn’t start writing until her twenties, she felt that she was ‘all washed up at 30.’ But readers have had a love affair with Keyes that has lasted over two decades now. It’s hard to imagine a greater, more reliable comfort than a new book by… 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 for… The New York Times Book Review Live There is an intimacy to reading: it’s just us and the author; our subjective response and their generous, imaginative understanding of a world that we share but may struggle to articulate. Yet for book lovers, there are moments beyond that connection… Jessie Burton: Return to the Doll’s House More than a million readers have awaited the sequel to Jessie Burton’s bestselling debut novel. The House of Fortune revisits the address in Amsterdam where the events of The Miniaturist took place to meet Thea Brandt on her 18th birthday. Determined to… Scottish Spoken Word Showcase Spoken word is an increasingly visible and important part of Scotland’s cultural life. Discover its strength, diversity and creativity in this celebratory showcase, where artists shed light on their inspirations, celebrate the scene’s lineage and… Houzan Mahmoud: Smoke Coming From My Soul Kurdish Women’s Stories is the brainchild of Houzan Mahmoud, a Kurdish writer, public lecturer and anti-war activist. Unforgettable and deeply moving, it’s a vitally important book which goes beyond the common depiction of women simply as victims of war…