Edinburgh International Book Festival programme is unveiled
With Booker, Orange, Costa, Turner and Pulitzer Prize Winners, Nobel Laureates and Poets Laureate amongst the authors, politicians, journalists, poets, photographers and artists, the Book Festival promises a summer of rich debate, entertainment and inspiration.
Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival said, "This year we will be looking at the new world order and particularly at the USA’s place in this world with an ambitious survey of American contemporary writing. We welcome acclaimed novelists Joyce Carol Oates, Lionel Shriver, and Amy Bloom, controversial cultural theorist David Shields and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz. The American strand includes over 45 authors such as Garry Trudeau whose Doonesbury strip is one of the most published cartoons in the world, Bill Clegg, David Vann, Willy Vlautin, Leanne Shapton, Simon Rich and Adam Ross."
The Book Festival opens on Saturday 14 August with Philip Pullman debating his re-imagined story of Christianity, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, with Richard Harries, formerly Bishop of Oxford and Dean of Kings’ College London. The Festival closes on Monday 30 August with Portugal’s greatest living writer, and Nobel Laureate, José Saramago.
Packed in between are over 750 authors from 50 different countries including James Robertson, Nicholas Parsons, Candia McWilliam, Fay Weldon, Lydia Davis and Jo Shapcott who will all be launching their new books, while Vidal Sassoon, Seamus Heaney, DBC Pierre and Roy Hattersley will be giving sneak previews of books published in September. The Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, will be previewing her new collection of poems to be published in 2011.
New innovations for 2010 include the inaugural Readers’ First Book Award which celebrates new writing. All 47 authors bringing their first UK published novel or short story collection are eligible. The award will encourage audiences to discover the Booker Prize winners or Nobel Laureates of the future, to read the books, come to the events and to vote online for their favourites before the end of October.
Tickets go on sale at 8.30am on Saturday 26 June.
For the full programme of events visit