Edinburgh International Book Festival 2011 line up highlights

Grant Morrison, Will Self, Ingrid Betancourt and Jo Nesbø among highlights

This article is from 2011.

A selection of international authors, a bunch of Scottish novelists, an array of top non-fiction scribes, a host of children’s writers and a series of exciting innovations: yes, it’s just another Edinburgh International Book Festival programme. A cliché it may be, but there really is something for virtually everyone at this year’s event which runs from 13 to 29 August.

Difficult to know where to begin, though the excellent opening day’s schedule is as good a place as any. Alasdair Gray is given the proud task of officially opening proceedings while a thrilling live performance of his Fleck brings the curtain down, featuring starring roles for Will Self, Alan Bissett, Ian Rankin and AL Kennedy, all of which is in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland.

Among the host of homegrown talents appearing at Charlotte Square Gardens will be Kevin MacNeil, Ali Smith, Alan Warner and Grant Morrison while North America is splendidly represented by TC Boyle, Robert Coover, Sapphire and Ben Mezrich. There is a host of impressive debut authors including Sunjeev Sahota, Mary Horlock, Adam Levin and Rebecca Hunt while international authors Sjón, Andrzej Stasiuk, Jo Nesbø and Chan Koonchung are coming our way.

In the Children’s programme, authors such as Julia Donaldson, Jacqueline Wilson and Eoin Colfer are accompanied there by iconic characters such as Tarzan, Horrid Henry and Peter Rabbit, while the world of sport is represented by former Wales and Celtic footballer John Hartson, cricket commentator Jonathan ’Aggers’ Agnew and controversial cycling star David Millar.

The world of journalism and politics has thrown up some intriguing events from the likes of former hostage Ingrid Betancourt, scourge of the establishment Heather Brooke, terrorism analyst Peter Taylor and Jon Ronson, the man who can spot a psychopath at 50 paces.