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 admirers across the political spectrum – and a growing sense that he is a future leader. In this event recorded live at the 2019 Edinburgh International Book Festival, Stewart talks to Guardian Chief Culture Writer Charlotte Higgins about what Brexit Britain can learn from the world of literature

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

Watch more

Joan Bakewell with Richard Holloway: Moving On Joan Bakewell with Richard Holloway: Moving On Situated in a leafy square in North London, Joan Bakewell’s generous townhouse was a regular meeting place for the extended family she adores, a happy by-product of a stellar career. Her recent decision to downsize was not just a pragmatic thing: it… Sam Baker & Carol Birch (2016 Event) Sam Baker & Carol Birch (2016 Event) Man Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Carol Birch presents her new book Orphans of the Carnival, which features powerful female characters separated by centuries and continents. Meanwhile, former editor of RED magazine and co-founder of The Pool, Sam… Closing Night: A Case For Hope Closing Night: A Case For Hope Hope — Rebecca Solnit memorably wrote — is an embrace of the unknown. While embraces might be a lost pleasure from a pre-COVID age, it’s clear we’re living in an age of plentiful unknowns. But amidst the uncertainty and fear, the grief and the loss… Robin Knox-Johnston speaks with Ruth Wishart at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Robin Knox-Johnston speaks with Ruth Wishart at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Throughout his 80 years, Robin Knox-Johnston has never quenched his thirst for adventure. Not content with being the first man to circumnavigate the globe alone on a non-stop voyage in 1969, he repeated the feat 12 years ago aged 68, becoming the oldest… Marlon James: A Fantastical Star Marlon James: A Fantastical Star What does a writer do once they’ve won the Booker Prize? If you’re the indefatigable Marlon James, you embark on a wildly ambitious series that defies easy characterisation. The second in the Dark Star trilogy Moon Witch, Spider King draws inventively on… Iain Sinclair at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Iain Sinclair at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Among our finest voices on the significance of place, Welsh writer and filmmaker Iain Sinclair health checks our relationships with buildings across the world in Living with Buildings and Walking with Ghosts. From Marseille to Mexico, inner London to the… Scotland's Stories Now Scotland's Stories Now Everyone has a story to tell; through stories we can make sense of our world. Earlier this year writers Andrew O’Hagan, Eleanor Thom, Ryan Van Winkle, Mae Diansangu, Roseanne Watt, Bea Webster and Siân Bevan collaborated with community groups across the… Outriders: Ximena Escalante & Stef Smith (2017 Event) Outriders: Ximena Escalante & Stef Smith (2017 Event) As part of our Outriders project to explore the Americas, leading Mexican playwright Ximena Escalante travelled across Mexico with Scottish theatre writer Stef Smith. Starting in the US city of San Diego, they journeyed south across the Mexican border… Arundhati Roy talks to Nicola Sturgeon at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Arundhati Roy talks to Nicola Sturgeon at the Edinburgh International Book Festival What did Arundhati Roy do between the publication of her Booker-winning debut The God of Small Things in 1997 and her extraordinary follow-up, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness two decades later? In a stunning new book of essays, we have the definitive… Allie Esiri: A Poem for Every Autumn Day, A Light in Dark Times Allie Esiri: A Poem for Every Autumn Day, A Light in Dark Times By the end of this difficult year, we may all wish to be transported to another world. Enter the irrepressible Allie Esiri, whose bestselling poetry anthologies have long provided nourishment and comfort. Packed with an eclectic mix of beloved classics…