2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival

In the Footsteps of Proust

Norwegian literary sensation Karl Ove Knausgaard is gathering an ever-increasing band of avid followers of his epic and much-discussed six-volume novel cycle, My Struggle. ‘It’s completely blown my mind… I need the next volume like crack’ said Zadie Smith, while the Guardian described it as ‘the most significant literary enterprise of our times.’ Knausgaard joins us today to discuss his third volume, Boyhood Island.

Winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, Zakes Mda is regarded as one of the most important novelists to have emerged on South Africa’s literary scene since the end of apartheid. The author of more than 20 novels and plays, Mda is now resident in the USA where he is a professor at Ohio University. In this event, recorded live at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival, you can hear him discuss his creative output, including his new mystic-realist epic The Sculptors of Mapungubwe.

The first sign that a book works is when the characters talk back to their author, and books can represent our internal voices unlike any other art form. A panel of award-winning novelists, Nathan Filer, Edward Carey and Matthew Quick talk about their relationships with their characters and their inner voices, exploring how a writer hears and channels the creative voice that drives a narrative or character. This event, which was recorded live at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival, was part of our Conversations with Ourselves strand of events which explored the medical, spiritual and literary aspects of hearing voices.

Colombian-born writer Oscar Guardiola-Rivera’s riveting Story of a Death Foretold lays bare the Cold War paranoia and rabid anti-communism which led to the downfall of Salvador Allende, Latin America’s first democratically-elected Marxist president. In this event, recorded live at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival, Guardiola-Rivera looks at why Allende was deposed in a violent coup and explores how business leaders and military officers in Chile been collaborating with the US Government and the CIA for months to end his regime.

 

Acclaimed comedian and actor Omid Djalili has produced a joyously funny memoir about growing up and finding fame as a young Iranian in London. He beautifully captures his unique childhood in his parents’ guesthouse, describing meetings with an array of remarkable characters and his own desire to escape. His story offers an intriguing perspective on British society today and in this event, recorded live at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival, he talks to author and critic Peter Guttridge.

The much-loved radio show Just a Minute has been delighting listeners for 46 years and every single episode of the programme has been hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Now, Parsons has produced his first book about Britain’s longest-running radio comedy show, and the venerable entertainer joined us at the Book Festival to enjoy some favourite moments and linguistic contortions that have made it such an enduring hit. Recorded live at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Only Remembered is a timeless and seminal anthology of First World War literature for children, edited by Michael Morpurgo and featuring artwork from renowned illustrator Ian Beck. In this event, recorded live at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival, Michael talks passionately about this remarkable collection, which includes contributions from some of the UK’s leading cultural, political and literary figures.

In early 2012, journalists Rhiannon Cosslett and Holly Baxter co-founded The Vagenda blog. An instant hit, it received over 7 million views in year one, and has received votes of approval from the likes of Caitlin Moran and Laurie Penny. The creators discuss the site, their campaigning new book, and how they turn a high-pitched cacophony of negativity about women into something incredibly positive.

Fearsomely incisive interviewer and journalist Lynn Barber faced a Twitter storm after an article on tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, but anonymous cyberhate is nothing for someone who has taken on the likes of Gore Vidal, James Stewart and Salvador Dali. In this event she speaks to Kate Mosse about her life and work and her recent memoir, A Curious Career. Recorded live at the Edinburgh International Book Festival 2014.

Two years ago John Gordon Sinclair made his crime-writing debut and now he’s back wrapping a grim tale around the CIA, Serbian gangs and a feisty Glaswegian lawyer with his second novel, Blood Whispers. Hear how Sinclair created a central character who is at her most dangerous when under threat, in this event, recorded live at the 2014 Edinburgh International Book Festival.