Edinburgh International Book Festival announces its 2025 programme
The Book Festival returns for its second edition under the stewardship of Jenny Niven. The packed programme features literary icons, figures from politics and quite a few stars from stage and screen
The world feels pretty broken right now, from the ongoing genocides abroad and deepening inequalities at home, to the attempt by our government to strip away basic human rights while ignoring the nightmare of our climate emergency. The UK’s largest literary celebration, Edinburgh International Book Festival (9-24 Aug), this year aims to explore some of these crises under its theme of ‘Repair’.
“The brilliant ideas of writers and thinkers can help us repair a host of seemingly ‘broken’ things in our society, from the cycle of fast fashion and our relationship with the environment, to cultural reparations and the state of our politics,” says EIBF’s director, Jenny Niven. “It’s a statement of hope and resilience, and an invitation for our audiences to think about what repair might mean for them.”
The festival kicks off with a night of spoken word responding to this theme, with fresh commissions from Palestinian poet Najwa Darwin, American writer Rachel Kushner, Scottish poet Jenni Fagan, Indian writer Amitav Ghosh and Brazilian Indigenous leader and activist Juma Xipaia. Some of those guests are taking part in other events at EIBF too, including Darwin, who’ll be performing some of his work and discussing what it means to survive, how to avoid being desensitised by conflict, and the incredible tenacity of the human spirit.
Another example of the Repair theme in action in the programme is a talk between human rights lawyer Philippe Sands and journalist Steve Crawshaw on political repair and conflict resolution. There's also an on-stage chat between historian Olesya Khromeychuk and journalist Jen Stout; they'll be honouring the legacy of Ukrainian novelist and war crimes researcher Victoria Amelina, who was killed from injuries sustained in a Russian missile attack. The festival also invites journalist and political commentator Ash Sarkar to wade into the ‘culture wars’; Indigenous Australian writer Melissa Lucashenko and Anishinaabe journalist and author Tanya Talaga will discuss First Nations perspectives on truth and legacy; and Robert Macfarlane, Louise Welsh, and ‘barrister for the earth’ Monica Feria-Tinta ask whether rivers should be granted personhood.
There are plenty more strands and themes to be unpicked across the programme, which features 641 writers from 35 countries spread across six continents. As ever, the festival will be bringing many titans of literary fiction to Scotland’s capital in August – think Ian McEwan, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Geoff Dyer, James Kelman, Allan Hollinghurst and Ali Smith. Other bestsellers coming to Edinburgh include Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins, who'll introduce her new thriller The Blue Hour, and Detransition, Baby’s Torrey Peters, who’ll be talking about Stag Dance, her short story collection exploring the lives of trans people past, present and future; Peters has also curated a night of performance from some of the most exciting trans writers and artists around. Samantha Harvey will be in town, too, to talk about her 2024 Booker-prize winner Orbital, Japanese author Asako Yuzuki muses on the themes of her compelling word-of-mouth mega-hit Butter, and Maggie O’Farrell talks through her celebrated career, from After You’re Gone to Hamnet.
New Scottish writing is represented in a big way. Heather Parry, Denise Mina, Ewan Morrison, Michael Pedersen, Chris McQueer, Kirsty Logan and Irvine Welsh are just a handful of the local favourites with new books to discuss. If you’re keen to find out why Scotland’s literary scene is in such fine fettle, make sure to get along to Scottish Writing is Thriving, a showcase featuring exciting new voices (Katie Goh, Eilidh Akilade) alongside more established talent (Victoria MacKenzie, Cal Flyn, Graeme Macrae Burnet).
It’s not just fiction writers and poets at the festival. There are plenty of politicians, comedians and actors with autobiographies to flog too. One of the headline names is former First Minister and book-lover Nicola Sturgeon, who’ll be discussing her memoir Frankly, which pulls back the curtain on how she went from a shy working-class kid to one of Scotland’s most significant political leaders. Also from the world of politics comes Diane Abbott, who’ll be discussing her memoir, A Woman Like Me, and her various achievements as a political trailblazer. Former Lib Dem leader Vince Cable and Labour’s Chris Bryant, current Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, will also be around for on-stage talks.
Podcaster extraordinaire Adam Buxton is in town to launch his memoir I Love You, Byeee. Standups like Ivo Graham and Mark Watson will take a break from the Fringe to talk to audiences about their respective books, while saucy comedy legend-turned-novelist Julian Clary presents his latest mystery romp, Curtain Call to Murder. Another comedian who crosses the literary divide is the mighty standup-poet Tim Keys: he’s back at EIBF with his new poetry collection L.A. Baby!
From the world of sport comes Rangers and Scotland legend Ally McCoist aka Super Ally: he’s chatting through his new autobiography, Dear Scotland: On the Road with the Tartan Army, and he’s sure to have some side-splitting yarns to tell. And Belle and Sebastian’s frontman Stuart Murdoch will also be around to explain why he chose fiction over memoir (the usual rock star route) for his first book, Nobody’s Empire.
Some of the special events to catch our eye include 1995: Grrrls Aloud, which sees the likes of Emma Pollock, Cora Bissett, Carrie Marshall, and Chitra Ramaswamy reflect on Scottish women’s considerable contribution to the soundtrack of the mid 90s, followed by live music from Hen Hoose Collective’s Cariss Crosbie. Hamish Hawk pays homage to Scotland's much-loved eccentric poet and singer Ivor Cutler. Queerly Beloved sees Kirsty Logan chat to a warm and lively panel of queer writers, including Harry Josephine Giles, Alan Hollinghurst, and Randa Jarar as they share the books which inspired them as writers, the stories they wish they could have read sooner, and why it matters so much to see your experiences represented in the culture you consume. Film critic Mark Kermode will host the first ever Scottish version of Mark Kermode Live in 3D with guest Brian Cox (the Dundee and Succession one). Jenni Fagan presents Frankenstein Cabaret: It’s Alive! – an intriguing-sounding night of cabaret celebrating Mary Shelley's gothic touchstone. And some Hollywood legends (including Vanessa Redgrave and Viggo Mortensen) perform powerful messages of protest from around the world in The People Speak, inspired by the work of people’s historian Howard Zinn.
The above just scratches the surface of EIBF’s sprawling programme, which runs 9-24 Aug. For the full lineup, head to edbookfest.co.uk or check out The Skinny's Book Festival preview coverage in the August issue.