Kit de Waal: Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood

Captioned

Kit de Waal’s influence across contemporary British literature is so broad as to be almost immeasurable. So how is it that one of our titans of the written word grew up with only the Bible to read? De Waal comes to this year’s Festival to chat about a childhood caught between three worlds and her unforgettable new memoir Without Warning & Only Sometimes with Damian Barr.

Book Festival News

Celebrating the 2024 Book Festival Celebrating the 2024 Book Festival
Monday 26 August

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

Donate

Share

Watch more

Will McPhail: Drawing Inspiration Will McPhail: Drawing Inspiration The drawing style of Will McPhail will be instantly recognisable to readers of the New Yorker or Private Eye, where his cartoons are regularly published. Now the cartoonist has turned his hand to his first full-length graphic novel, IN, and it’s set to… Flora Fraser: On Flora Macdonald Flora Fraser: On Flora Macdonald Historical biographer Flora Fraser has illuminated the hidden lives of queens and mistresses through revolutions and scandals. Now with Pretty Young Rebel, Fraser turns her sights to Flora Macdonald, who disguised Bonnie Prince Charlie as a maid and… Interview - Melissa Benn (2014) Interview - Melissa Benn (2014) Melissa Benn was in Edinburgh to talk about her book What Should We Tell Our Daughters? and took time out for a quick chat before her event at the Book Festival. You can also watch Melissa Benn's full hour-long event, recorded live at the 2014… Innu Poetry from the Canadian Tundra (2015 Event) Innu Poetry from the Canadian Tundra (2015 Event) When the Book Festival invited three writers from the First Nation Innu people of Northern Canada to present their work in Edinburgh, three Scotland-based poets were invited to work with them. In this collaboration, which will also result in Anna Crowe… Mark Urban speaks with Ruth Wishart at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Mark Urban speaks with Ruth Wishart at the Edinburgh International Book Festival The Salisbury poisoning of Sergei Skripal was one of the strangest stories of 2018. The Kremlin’s presumed involvement turned the case into a circus, but broadcaster Mark Urban has solid evidence, drawn from interviews Skripal gave pre-attack. The Skripal… Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina with Yanis Varoufakis (2018 Event) Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina with Yanis Varoufakis (2018 Event) 'To back down an inch is to give up a mile,' says Maria Alyokhina in Riot Days, her account of Pussy Riot’s extraordinary rise to infamy in 2012. Following an iconoclastic balaclava-clad performance in a Moscow cathedral, Alyokhina and two of her… Edinburgh International Book Festival 2019 Highlights 10–12 August Edinburgh International Book Festival 2019 Highlights 10–12 August The fantastic first few days featuring visits from Tim Winton, DeRay Mackesson, Malorie Blackman and more… Akala (2018 Event) Akala (2018 Event) Race and class have shaped the world of MOBO award-winning hip hop artist, poet and political commentator Akala. In Natives, his searing polemic on race in the UK, he considers his own experiences in both childhood and as an adult, and connects them to… Christie Watson: Wild At Heart Christie Watson: Wild At Heart Are we finally getting better at talking about middle age? A shining light leading us along is Christie Watson, writer of Quilt on Fire. Today she talks with broadcaster Sam Baker about the joys (plenty) and agonies (there are a few) of our middle years… Kezia Dugdale & Lesley Riddoch: Once Upon a Time in Holyrood Kezia Dugdale & Lesley Riddoch: Once Upon a Time in Holyrood When Humza Yousaf became the sixth First Minister of Scotland, he promised, "new leadership, a fresh start for Scotland" – but amid the enquiries and intrigue, what does that really mean? Join our panel including former Leader of Scottish Labour, Kezia…