2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival

Dec 06 2012 1.1k

2012 Edinburgh International Book Festival Podcast artwork

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.

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William Fotheringham at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Dec 06 2012 61 mins

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 bo

Robert Macfarlane at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Dec 03 2012 59 mins

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

What Comes Next? at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Nov 29 2012 61 mins

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 Harri

Jacqueline Wilson at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Nov 21 2012 52 mins

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

Jennifer Rohn & Neal Stephenson at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Nov 18 2012 58 mins

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 Pi

Neil Gaiman & Chris Riddell at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Nov 14 2012 56 mins

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-winn

Charles Fernyhough and Ben Marcus at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Nov 12 2012 64 mins

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 chi

Michael Morpurgo at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Nov 12 2012 61 mins

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 b

Pat Barker at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Nov 05 2012 58 mins

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 o

Rethinking the Union, Part 2 at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Oct 31 2012 80 mins

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 Came