2016 Edinburgh International Book Festival (edbookfest)

A Life on the Scrap Heap

In 2001, almost 150 tattered notebooks were discovered in a skip in Cambridge. They were a small part of an intimate diary that began in 1952 and ended half a century later. It took Alexander Masters five years to uncover the identity and real history of their author. In A Life Discarded he shares the true, shocking and poignant story of this mysterious diarist, and a stunning final revelation in his pursuit. Chaired by James Runcie.

My Fight for Human Rights

The first Muslim woman and first Iranian to win a Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi is a leading lawyer and activist who has campaigned fearlessly for freedom of speech and equality before the law in her country, despite being betrayed politically and personally, and forced into exile from Iran. She joins us to discuss Until We Are Free, her account of the fight for dignity, human rights and Iranian reform.

Voices in our Heads

Two years ago, authors at the Book Festival took part in a major study into the multiple inner voices that make up human consciousness. Now, the leader of that project, psychologist Charles Fernyhough, has completed a major book on the subject, which he discusses with Richard Holloway. The Voices Within weaves human anecdotes with research to demonstrate how inner voices have a far more important role in consciousness than science has previously acknowledged.

Life in the Peloton

Those lucky enough to witness David Millar’s spellbinding Book Festival event in 2011 will recall the athlete’s forthright admissions about calorie counting, secret doping and quirky camaraderie on the pro cycling circuit. Now he's back with The Racer, a love letter to racing and an unparalleled insight into the career of a Scottish cycling legend. No other rider has so successfully transformed himself into a charmingly anti-establishment communicator.

The World’s Largest Refugee Camp

Dadaab Refugee Camp in Northern Kenya has existed for 25 years. Originally created for 90,000 Somalian refugees it now contains over 350,000 people, including 10,000 third-generation inhabitants. Over a period of four years, Ben Rawlence explored this extraordinary 'temporary' city, getting close to the realities of life for its inhabitants. City of Thorns takes us beyond the shock headlines, offering testament to the frailty and resilience of humanity.

The Funniest Writer in Britain?

Already a wildly popular author thanks to her memoir Love, Nina and bestselling debut novel, Man at the Helm, Nina Stibbe returns with Paradise Lodge. Set in a 1970s ramshackle old people's home, this lovingly created story of chaos, love and elderly people is told from the perspective of a 15 year old girl who works there. If there's an heir to Sue Townsend, it's surely Nina Stibbe. She talks to James Runcie.

Unlocking Lockerbie

In 2009, then Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill controversially granted the release on compassionate grounds of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only man ever convicted for the Lockerbie Bombing in 1988. Now MacAskill has written his own account of the terrorist attack, the trial and the turmoil that has ensued. With forensic detail he explores the forces at play and why some questions continue to remain unanswered.

One of the Greatest Irish Writers

Philip Roth has called it Edna O’Brien’s masterpiece; for John Banville it’s savage, tender and true; Claire Messud describes it as arduous and beautiful. The Little Red Chairs is the work of a truly great Irish writer at the height of her powers. A decade since she wrote her last novel, O’Brien discusses an astonishing story that charts the consequences of a fatal attraction.

John Lennon’s Bad Trip

Kevin Barry’s Beatlebone recently won the £10,000 Goldsmiths Prize for ‘fiction at its most novel’. The phrase seems apt: even though this is a story built from familiar elements – an imagined John Lennon, post-Beatles in 1978, trying to pay a visit to an isle off the coast of Ireland that the real-life Lennon bought in the 60s – Barry has produced a tour de force that’s funny, raw and dazzlingly novel.

Egypt: A Devastating Portrait

In 2002, The Yacoubian Building was an international bestseller, establishing Alaa Al Aswany as one of the Arab world’s most influential voices. Since then, Egypt has changed radically. However, Al Aswany’s new novel The Automobile Club of Egypt represents another satire on his country’s modern situation. Today he discusses his book and freedom of speech in a post-2011 Egypt whose government has tried to silence him.