books feature
13 To See: Books
2008 Festival Preview
Every year, I say something along the lines of '"this is my favourite festival, get ye to it", and of course, this year, I stand by that. So many fabulous speakers are set to appear, amongst them names like Richard Dawkins, Tony Benn, Jenni Murray, Tariq Ali, Menzies Campbell, David Owen and Steven Berkoff. And, you see, it's not really just about books. Well, it is about books, but think about it; books all have to be about something, therefore, there's an enormous number of topics that can be covered; endless debate, endless exchange of different kinds of information. To be honest, I never quite know where to start when doing my tips. So what I generally end up doing is not actually picking my favourites. I tend to just pick the ones that I think give an overall picture of the enormous variety of events on offer. So please get yourself a programme, don't just go and see what I say you should.
Justine Picardie
This sounds interesting to me, because I was always a bit too interested in the Brontes myself. In her novel 'Daphne', Justine Picardie explores the story of writer Daphne du Maurier's obsession with Emily, Charlotte and Anne's underachieving brother Branwell.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 9 Aug only, 8.30pm, bfpp4
Russell Razzaque
Everyone's talking about terrorism, these days, and the Book Festival guests are no exception. Russell Razzaque talks about what turns an ordinary Western teenager into a suicide bomber, an event which kicks off the festival's East And West strand.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 9 Aug only, 12:30pm, bfpp2
Language Quiz
Woo, I love a quiz. It's one of my favourite things. Even a high-falutin literary quiz held by Chambers and featuring panel guests such as Christopher Brookmyre. In fact, I like that kind of quiz more than any other I think. I think I'd like to be a panel guest, despite the inevitable humiliation.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 18 Aug only, 7.00pm, bfpp40
Dealing with Editors, Agents and The Rest
Okay, now to one of the workshops at the Book Festival this year. There are a number of such events aimed at aspiring writers, and this one, I feel, will prove particularly useful. Editors and agents are notoriously awful. Nah, I'm kidding, they're not. Well, they're mostly not.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 12 Aug only, 2.00pm, bfpp15
Mark Leonard & Rana Mitter
Everyone's talking about China at the moment, what with them controversially hosting the Olympics, and everything, and the Book Festival guests are no exception. Hang on, sorry, I did that already. But it's true, isn't it? These two are experts on the subject, and will explore the global ramifications of the country's increasing modernity.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 10 Aug only, 5.00pm, bfpp7
Alternative Medicine
Some would say it's not science, but it's part of the Science strand. Actually, I think that's the point of this event - to debate whether alternative medicine has scientific basis, and whether it's any use at all, or not. Book festival favourite Simon Singh is amongst those appearing.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 8 Aug only, 7.00pm, bfpp8
Iain Banks
Not the first time he's appeared at the Book Festival, by any means, and probably not the last, but it's always a pleasure to hear from this very clever writer. Banks continues to produce both straight fiction as well as his science fiction books, and I expect that's what he'll talk about this festival.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 13 Aug only, 8.00pm, bfpp20
Fuchsia Dunlop
If you really wanted to cook Chinese food that actually tasted like authentic Chinese food, this is the woman whose books you need to read. I don't think she's necessarily talking exclusively about food, but she is talking about China (like everyone, these days) and the remote areas she had to visit to become such an authority on the country's cuisine. I think this will be interesting. And maybe she'll sign my cookbook.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 11 Aug only, 4.00pm, bfpp11
Alison Weir
Definitely time for a bit of history, I think, and this sounds interesting. Alison Weir explores the life of Katherine Swynford, royal mistress in the fourteenth century, who, claims the programme, left a legacy which shaped British history. Well, it's all about the ladies, really, isn't it?
Charlotte Square Gardens, 19 Aug only, 2.00pm, bfpp42
Susie Dent and Henry Hitchens
If you're interested in words, there's every chance you'll be interested in this talk about loanwords - the kind we steal from other people's languages, like shampoo and kiosk - their cultural significance, which ones we've stolen most recently, and the changing nature of language generally.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 20 Aug only, 2.00pm, bfpp47
Bryan Talbot
If you're a fan of the graphic novel, then you're probably aware of Bryan Talbot, and if you aspire to the creation of them, then this is an event for you, a masterclass highlighting the tricks, technique and history of the genre. Limited places, so I hope for your sake - yes, you there - there's one for you. Hurry now, and check.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 22 Aug only, 11.00am, bfpp54
Margaret Atwood
The book festival programme calls Margaret Atwood one of the "greatest living writers" and I am inclined to agree. She'll be reading some unpublished material at this event, a story set in Nova Scotia, where her father grew up.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 23 Aug only, 11.30am, bfpp58
Will Self
Not sure I'm that keen on Will Self's novels, but he's great on TV, so I reckon you'll enjoy this event no matter what. That said, his new novel sounds quite interesting, so I'll not rule it out.
Charlotte Square Gardens, 24 Aug only, 1.30pm, bfpp62
published: Aug-2008
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