Raja Shehadeh: To Absent Fathers

Captioned

In 1985, Raja Shehadeh’s father Aziz was murdered in a pre-meditated knife attack. The circumstances of the crime are the subject of his Strangers in the House. Today, through his new memoir, Shehadeh sheds a different light on the father-son relationship that still influences him 37 years on. We Could Have Been Friends, My Father And I is the Palestinian author’s finest, most profoundly moving book to date. He appears in conversation with Esa Aldegheri.

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

Laura Bates (2016 Event) Laura Bates (2016 Event) The founder of the influential online project Everyday Sexism, Laura Bates was in the 2014 Woman's Hour Power List Game Changers Top 10 and is becoming well known for her refusal to accept the female stereotypes peddled by a normative mainstream media… Graeme Armstrong, Jenni Fagan & Caleb Femi: Take Your Place  Graeme Armstrong, Jenni Fagan & Caleb Femi: Take Your Place  Since early 2020 our sense of home and our relationship to place has changed dramatically. Recurring lockdowns and ‘stay at home’ orders have seen people confined to their houses, flats and immediate local area. For some, discoveries of outdoor hidden… Caitlin Moran (2011 Event) Caitlin Moran (2011 Event) Caitlin Moran is on a mission to reclaim feminism and make it relevant to women today… Rory Stewart speaks with Charlotte Higgins at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Rory Stewart speaks with Charlotte Higgins at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Despite coming fourth in the Conservative Party’s leadership contest, Rory Stewart has emerged as one of this strange Summer’s surprise political winners. The International Development Secretary’s refreshing honesty and viral Twitter campaigning won him… Michael Ignatieff: Consolation for Our Times Michael Ignatieff: Consolation for Our Times The historian and political theorist Michael Ignatieff began writing a book about consolation before the first lockdown. Now, our lives changed by Covid-19, and with over 80 million refugees fleeing conflicts worldwide, On Consolation feels spectacularly… Shifting Sands, Five Years On: What Future for the Middle East? Shifting Sands, Five Years On: What Future for the Middle East? In 2015, the acclaimed writer and lawyer Raja Shehadeh was a guest selector for Edinburgh International Book Festival, presenting a series of events exploring the past, present and future of the Middle East. With memories of the region’s 2011 uprisings… Interview - David Crystal (2015) Interview - David Crystal (2015) Top linguist David Crystal took a moment before his event to talk with us about accents, language and how it's changing in the 21st Century. We also chatted to his fans after the event to see what they thought. You can see David's hour-long event… Highlights of the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival Highlights of the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival Just a few of the highlights of the 2014 Book Festival - what a wonderful year we had!… Mariana Enríquez: Argentina's Ghoulish Underbelly Mariana Enríquez: Argentina's Ghoulish Underbelly There is a new generation of Latin American women whose stylish, gothic writing is finding enthusiastic readers all over the world. Alongside Chile’s Lina Meruane and Mexico’s Valeria Luiselli, Argentina has produced a cornucopia of talents including… Val McDermid: Portrait of a Criminal Val McDermid: Portrait of a Criminal With Val McDermid’s iconic detective soon set to hit our screens, it couldn’t be a more perfect time to revisit Police Scotland's Historic Cases Unit and the savvy, no-nonsense DCI Karen Pirie. A thrilling new head-scratcher from the undisputed ‘Queen of…