Claim Ownership2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival
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Described as ‘an Olympics of the mind’, the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival offered Nobel Prize and Booker winners, bestsellers and up-and-coming writers alongside scientists, philosophers, children’s authors and illustrators, great thinkers, orators and inspirational storytellers. 750 authors from around the world gathered to celebrate the world of words and ideas. You can hear some of the events here in our series of free podcasts – recorded live at the Festival.
22 Episodes
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Cycling was a hot topic during the summer of 2012, with British success in the Olympics and the Tour de France, and the breaking of the Lance Armstrong scandal, and it was against this backdrop that sports journalist William Fotheringham came to the Book Festival to talk about one of the cycling world’s lesser-known legends. Eddy Merckx is to cycling what Ali (or Tyson) was to boxing and Pelé (or Messi) is to football: quite simply, the best there has ever been. Throughout his professional career the Belgian amassed an astonishing 445 victories and, along the way, dealt with horrific injury, a doping scandal and tragedy. Fotheringham shared the details of this remarkable sporting life during this event, which was recorded live at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with festival Director Nick Barley.
In The Old Ways, shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson prize, the celebrated author Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge home to follow the ancient tracks, drove-roads and sea paths that form part of a vast network of routes criss-crossing the British landscape and its waters, and connecting them to the continents beyond. The result is an immersive, enthralling exploration of the ghosts and voices that haunt old paths, of the stories our tracks keep and tell, of pilgrimage and ritual, and of songlines and their singers. Above all his book is about people and place and the subtle ways in which we are shaped by the landscapes through which we move. Told in Macfarlane's distinctive voice, the book folds together natural history, cartography, geology, archaeology and literature. In this event, recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival, he talks to Stuart Kelly, the literary editor of Scotland On Sunday.
Acclaimed author Keith Gray has edited an anthology of stories by leading writers looking at where we go when we die, entitled Next. Each short story examines the idea in different ways. Kate Harrison’s trilogy Soul Beach is about a girl whose sister is murdered and trapped in a kind of limbo but can communicate with a chosen loved one through a website. Keith Gray and Kate Harrison join Iona Heath, President of the Royal College of General Practitioners and author of Matters of Life and Death, in this event to explore the idea of afterlife, why some cultures and individuals believe there is such a thing and why death is such fertile territory for writers. Chaired by Lindsey Fraser and recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival. Supported by the Wellcome Trust.
In 1902, E Nesbit published Five Children and It, which has never been out of print. Jacqueline Wilson, the highly acclaimed author of Tracey Beaker and countless other children’s books, revisited the original and has created Four Children and It. Her story is set in the modern day and follows Rosalind and Robbie, their half-sister Maudie and step-sister Smash. This foursome’s adventures see them discover the mythical sand-fairy in Surrey's Oxshott Woods. In this event, recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival, the popular children’s author talks to Jenny Avern about her take on this much-loved story.
Science fiction writing is readily dismissed as mindless escapism but in fact it is a hugely influential and creative genre, able to critique our society and inspire our scientists. New York Times bestseller Neal Stephenson discusses the importance of science fiction on science fact with Jennifer Rohn, of University College London and author of lablit.com in, an event chaired by Pippa Goldschmidt and recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival.
To mark the 10th anniversary of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, Chris Riddell has created beautiful, atmospheric and unsettling illustrations for a new edition of the book. The tale of the lonely girl who discovers an alternate world where her ‘other mother and father’ live has been turned into a graphic novel and a film. In this event, Coraline’s creator Neil Gaiman and award-winning illustrator Chris Riddell discuss their inspiration for the words and the pictures with interviewer Grace Sutherland. Recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival.
From Gulliver’s Travels to 1984, dystopian visions have shaped literary fiction. Why do these flights of fancy influence our reality? How does science respond to these futuristic imaginings? Ben Marcus, author of the remarkable The Flame Alphabet, discusses the interplay of science and fiction as it shapes our future with psychologist Dr Charles Fernyhough, who specialises in child development, memory and hallucinations. This is a live recording of the discussion, chaired by Jennifer Wild, which took place at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival. Supported by the Wellcome Trust.
He's a master storyteller who has left an indelible mark on countless children who’ve grown up with his stories. Now, the astonishing success of War Horse on stage and screen has made Michael Morpurgo a household name. Maggie Fergusson has written an intriguing biography of the writer, War Child, War Horse, which is interspersed with seven autobiographical short stories written by Morpurgo himself. In this event, recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival, the two writers got together to tell us about their unique collaboration, chaired by Lindsay Fraser.
Her books include the highly acclaimed Regeneration trilogy: Regeneration (made into a film of the same name), The Eye in the Door (winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize) and The Ghost Road (winner of the Booker Prize). She came to Edinburgh to unveil her latest story, Toby's Room, the sequel to her acclaimed novel Life Class. Toby is 'missing, believed killed' on the battlefields of France, but his sister begins to question how he died – and why. Pat Barker's unforgettable stories highlight the emotional traumas of the First World War and her new book is a dark, compelling story of human desire, wartime horror and the power of friendship. She discusses her work with acclaimed broadcaster and journalist Allan Little in this event, recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival.
David Cameron may not be popular among Scottish voters but he raises an intriguing argument. Scotland would, he claims, lose its influence on the international stage and be marginalised by organisations such as the UN and NATO. Worse, Scotland’s entry into the European Union may be vetoed by a Spanish government anxious not to spark its own regional independence issues. Does Cameron’s argument add up, or is he just scaremongering? The outspoken former Labour MP and Cabinet Minister Tony Benn, joined Dr Nicola McEwen, Director of Public Policy at the Academy of Government and Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh and Alyn Smith, Scotland’s youngest member of the European Parliament, to debate this political hot potato in an event chaired by Scotland correspondent for the Guardian, Severin Carrell. It was recorded live at the 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Wolf Hall was one of the most remarkable novels of recent years and it has become the bestselling Man Booker Prize winner to date. And now Hilary Mantel has become the first British writer and the first woman to win the Man Booker Prize twice. Judges hailed her new book Bring up the Bodies as "remarkable" and that the book "transcends the work already written by a great English writer". You can hear her talking about her work in this live recording of her 2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival event. She talks to James Runcie, director of a stunning BBC2 documentary about Mantel.
'If there were a prize for best reader of one’s own poems, Paul Durcan would probably win it hands down,' proclaimed the Guardian's reviewer of Durcan's latest poetry collection, Praise in Which I Live and Move and Have My Being. The popular Dublin-born writer paid a well overdue visit to the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2012 (his first since 1995) and thrilled audiences with his quirky, jaunty, insightful new poems. This is a live recording of the event.
At the 2011 Edinburgh International Book Festival, Broughty Ferry's fictional hero Bob Servant was brought to life by Greg McHugh (aka Gary Tank Commander) in a sell-out performance. Since then, filming has begun to turn Neil Forsyth's comedy creation into a BBC TV series and there’s also a new book. In this event, recorded live at Edinburgh International Book Festival, leading Scottish actors perform scenes from the book, and Neil Forsyth talks about his life as a writer.
The race to identify the Higgs Boson has led to multi-billion dollar investment in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The return promises to be the revelation of how the universe came into being. Frank Close is Professor of Theoretical Physics at Oxford University and in his book The Infinity Puzzle he tells the astonishing story of three scientists whose work has played out against a backdrop of high politics, and who stand to win a Nobel Prize. In this event, recorded live at Edinburgh International Book Festival, Professor Peter Higgs, who first identified the concept of the Higgs Boson in the 1960s, interviews Frank Close, the first such public event after the announcement of the breakthrough discovery at CERN.
The last time Michael Palin appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival was in 1987, when it was directed by Jenny Brown. Since then, the co-founder of Monty Python's Flying Circus has become an adventurous travel journalist, while Brown is now Scotland's leading literary agent. Twenty five years on, both returned for this event, which was recorded live at the Book Festival, and talked about Michael Palin's captivating new novel, The Truth, whose action leads its hero around the world – thanks to a deal struck by a leading literary agent...
It is time to stop classifying dyslexia as a disability argues Vivian French; we need to start appreciating that different brain-wiring and neurobiological patterns allow people to process information in unique ways. Although dyslexia may cause difficulties with reading and writing, people with it prefer thinking in narrative form, often making them natural storytellers and actors. An ability to visualize 3D structures also means many are gifted artists. Vivian leads the discussion with Dr John Rack, Head of Research, Development and Policy at Dyslexia Action and actor, playwright and songwriter Matthew McVarish.
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 brings us his debut novel, Charlotte Street, in which a man becomes obsessed with the images inside a discarded disposable camera. Does that sound filmic? It should do, as Working Title has already optioned the movie rights. In this event, recorded live at Edinburgh International Book Festival, Danny Wallace talks about his new book and uses his legendary wit and charm to entertain a full house.
According to Alex Salmond, his eclectic cultural interests range from Miss Marple to Star Trek and in this evening’s unmissable event the First Minister talks about life beyond politics with the most successful British literary novelist of the past 30 years. Ian McEwan also boasts a wide range of interests beyond fiction – not least among them film, music and science.
He may be best known for the disco hit Le Freak but Nile Rodgers’ influence on pop music has been so very much greater than that. Rodgers wrote and produced classics such as Like a Virgin for Madonna, We Are Family for Sister Sledge and David Bowie’s bestselling album Let’s Dance. He’s worked with Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Prince and Debbie Harry; he’s jammed with Jimi and dined out with Diana. Nile Rodgers also happens to be a brilliant storyteller, and in this event, recorded live at Edinburgh International Book Festival, he talks to Irvine Welsh, recounting the joy and pain of a life at the heart of the pop industry, and he throws in an impromptu jamming session just for the hell of it.
The Man Booker-shortlisted and Whitbread-winning author of Headlong and Spies travelled to Edinburgh to discuss his latest novel, Skios. Michael Frayn is one of Britain’s most respected playwrights and he brings his mastery of the stage farce to this new comedy. As the Fred Toppler Foundation prepares for its annual lecture, it turns out there’s a case of stolen identity that threatens to get the organiser into hot water… This is a recording of the live event at Edinburgh International Book Festival.
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