Kevin Barry at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

In his early novels City of Bohane and Beatlebone as well as his short stories, Kevin Barry showed clear signs of his prodigious talent as a writer. But the Booker Prize-longlisted Night Boat to Tangier is his best book yet – a modest masterpiece of a novel dripping with tenderness, remorse and laconic humour. Join Barry live at the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2019 with Peggy Hughes to hear about his two fading but irresistible Irish gangsters trying to piece together the shards of their shattered lives.

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

Val McDermid & Jo Sharp: Shaping a Better Future (2020 Event) Val McDermid & Jo Sharp: Shaping a Better Future (2020 Event) At last year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, bestselling author Val McDermid and professor of geography Jo Sharp were inspired by the festival theme, We Need New Stories. So inspired, in fact, that they turned to a loveable rogues gallery of… Shahad Al Rawi & Michael Donkor (2018 Event) Shahad Al Rawi & Michael Donkor (2018 Event) Two coming-of-age tales come under the microscope in this event recorded live at the 2018 Edinburgh International Book Festival. Shahad Al Rawi’s poignant debut The Baghdad Clock (winner of the Book Festival's 2018 First Book Award) takes us back to 1991… Bill Paterson Bill Paterson Bill Paterson, one of Scotland's most renowned and best-loved actors, talks with Ruth Wishart about his much-awaited memoir Tales from the Back Green in this 2008 event. It's a wonderful portrait of growing up in Glasgow's East End in the 1950s… Julian Barnes (2015 Event) Julian Barnes (2015 Event) One of our finest writers, Julian Barnes first wrote about art in his novel A History of the World in 10½ Chapters. Since then, the Man Booker Prize-winning author has written a series of scintillating essays on a range of artists as diverse as… Mark Walters with Pat Nevin at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Mark Walters with Pat Nevin at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Footballer Mark Walters is remembered for his wing wizardry, but while he’s revered by the Rangers faithful who cheered him for four trophy-laden years, he also endured racist chants – an issue he campaigns against now. In this event recorded live at the 2… Danny Wallace (2012 event) Danny Wallace (2012 event) In his non-fiction work, he’s tried to start a new country and helped a comedy friend find as many of his namesakes as possible. Now Dundee-born Danny Wallace… David Peace David Peace Before his 2009 event, David Peace discusses how and why he creates fiction from real-life incidents, looking at, amongst other writings, his Tokyo Trilogy and Red Riding Quartet… William Fotheringham (2014 event) William Fotheringham (2014 event) Long before Bradley Wiggins took the world by storm, British cycling already had a hero. Tom Simpson was world champion and the first Briton to wear yellow in the Tour de France. In 1967 he died during a stage of the Tour while climbing the monstrous Mont… Gordon Brown - 25th Anniversary Opening Event Gordon Brown - 25th Anniversary Opening Event Prime Minister Gordon Brown opens the 2008 Book Festival with this unique and illuminating conversation with Ian Rankin. Hear him discuss history, heroes and his own writings… Rutger Bregman: There is Hope for the Human Race (2020 Event) Rutger Bregman: There is Hope for the Human Race (2020 Event) Superbly readable and full of fascinating evidence, historian Bregman’s book Humankind looks at how his optimistic analysis of human nature could play out in policy terms. Hyper-local participatory democracy? Schools with little or no curriculum? A change…