John Burnside (2017 Event)

One of the most acclaimed writers of his generation, poet, memoirist and novelist John Burnside treats us to two new works. The hugely praised Ashland & Vine is the beautifully woven tale of an unlikely friendship between a grieving, semi-alcoholic widow and the elderly woman of whom she hopes to record the family history; Still Life with Feeding Snake is a poetry collection which hovers with great assurance on the brink of epiphany. Chaired by Stuart Kelly, this event was recorded live at the 2017 Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Download MP3

Book Festival News

Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024 Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024
Friday 13 December

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Listen to more

Marina Nemat - with Lewis Alsamari Marina Nemat - with Lewis Alsamari Iraqi exile Lewis Alsamari and Iranian Marina Nemat both wrote deeply moving and personal accounts of their experiences of escape to the West… A.C. Grayling 'The Legacy of a Complex Man' (2016 Event) A.C. Grayling 'The Legacy of a Complex Man' (2016 Event) Best known for sci-fi novels such as The Time Machine and The Invisible Man, H G Wells also wrote numerous non-fiction works. His wide-ranging ideas pre-dated many modern concerns, including the internet and the black civil rights movement. Yet Wells was… Melvin Burgess (teen event) Melvin Burgess (teen event) Well known for producing controversial, demanding and prize-winning teen fiction, Melvin Burgess is now regarded as one of the best writers of contemporary children's literature. In this 2005 schools event he talks about the significance of myth in his… Martin Amis (2104 Event) Martin Amis (2104 Event) The last time Martin Amis wrote about the Holocaust was in 1991 in his novel Time’s Arrow. Now he returns to the subject with the much-anticipated The Zone of Interest. In this event, recorded live at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival… David Simon David Simon One of the hottest tickets of the 2009 Book Festival, we were thrilled the creator and writer of HBO's universally acclaimed TV series The Wire, took time out to come to Edinburgh for the Book Festival. David Simon first posed the question 'Are America's… Laird Hunt & Colson Whitehead (2017 Event) Laird Hunt & Colson Whitehead (2017 Event) Two of the finest writers working in America today take a tour around the dark history of their country. Paul Auster called Laird Hunt's last novel Neverhome 'magnificent'; The Evening Road is his latest, which he discusses in this event, and… Juno Dawson & C N Lester (2017 Event) Juno Dawson & C N Lester (2017 Event) What makes a woman a woman? Is it her biology? Is it a rite of passage? Is it society? As she transitions from male to female, Juno Dawson's The Gender Games explores feminism and femininity in culture, science and society. Co-founder of the first… Kit de Waal with Damian Barr at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Kit de Waal with Damian Barr at the Edinburgh International Book Festival The publishing world is finally waking up to the barriers that have prevented working class voices from being heard in books. Kit de Waal grew up in Birmingham’s Irish community and she has successfully broken into the mainstream with two highly acclaimed… Frederick Forsyth with Ian Rankin (2016 Event) Frederick Forsyth with Ian Rankin (2016 Event) It's hardly surprising that Frederick Forsyth has wild stories to tell, given his past as an RAF pilot and investigative journalist, but the thriller writer spins such ripping yarns in his dashing autobiography, The Outsider, that a Sunday Times critic… John Burnside (2017 Event) John Burnside (2017 Event) One of the most acclaimed writers of his generation, poet, memoirist and novelist John Burnside treats us to two new works. The hugely praised Ashland & Vine is the beautifully woven tale of an unlikely friendship between a grieving, semi-alcoholic widow…