Our ProgrammeThemes For 2012Use our website to search events by subject, theme or keyword: www.edbookfest.co.ukODYSSEYS Tales of inspirational voyages and more personal journeys, first-hand accounts of discovery, travel and courageous exploits.INFORMATION IS POWERExamining the ups and downs of the digital age, encompassing cybercrime, phone hacking, the effects of social media on world events and the critical nature of information in business. THE STATE OF BRITAINTaking in education, design, politics, immigration, super-injunctions, definitions of 'Britishness', the issues surrounding Scottish independence and our hopes and fears for the future.SCOTLAND'S RICH HISTORYFascinating stories of Scotland's past including the Royal Botanical Gardens, the country's military history, tracing Scots' DNA, folk culture, historic homes and a look at great Scottish speeches.THE PRICE OF PROFIT Asking ethical questions about the role of market economies and how we protect the moral and civic good in society, including a range of perspectives on globalisation, the financial crisis and the arms trade.ANOTHER AFRICA New perspectives on a post-colonial continent through fiction and non-fiction, offering a dazzling array of contemporary African writers and thinkers.SPORT: MIND GAMES Fact, fiction and personal stories about sport including the drugs, the cheating and the darker side of competing at professional level. Part of Speed of Light. A highlight of the Edinburgh International Festival, NVA's Speed of Light programme extends across seven of Edinburgh's Festivals throughout 2012.DEMOCRACY MATTERSExploring the state of politics and governance today and taking in the campaign for democracy by Aung San Suu Kyi and the revolutions of the Arab Spring.SCIENCE MEETS FICTION Celebrating the parallels between scientific and literary leaps of the imagination and investigating how the two disciplines have influenced one another.WE ARE THE WAR The history and humanity explored through poignant prose and hard-hitting historical accounts, with tales from the war reporters on the front-line.LITERARY LEGENDS Looking at the life and work of Angela Carter, Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, Franz Kafka and Charles Dickens. Also including reworked classics, such as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.RUSSIA THEN AND NOW Analyses of the complex reality of the country's present and a close look at Vladimir Putin, the man himself, his policies and leadership, along with a view of Russia's rich royal history. DRAWING ON OUR RESOURCES Pondering our exploitative attitudes to wild nature, innovative ideas for finding food, tales of DIY biohackers and citizen-scientists along with perspectives on how we use the planet's resources. THE ART OF TRANSLATIONThe highly skilled work of translating fiction and non-fiction exposed. Including masterclasses, discussions and translation duels, where two translators are pitted against each other.2

Guest SelectorsVIVAIN FENRCHJAMES NAUGHTIEESU MACGERGORchris riddellVivian French: The Power of Words Through PlayHugely successful children's author Vivian French leads a series of events in the RBS Children's Programme: 'It's a HUGE honour to be a Guest Selector...but how to choose? Children who read widely learn the power of words and language; I want to reach out to those who, for many reasons, find reading hard or alien. If these children can only see themselves as authors, alongside authors they know and love, I believe they will feel empowered and go on to read with real passion. My children are going to create stories through songs, pictures, plays and improvisation - and I've got the most wonderful team to help this happen!'James Naughtie: Britain TodayLeading journalist and BBC Radio 4's Today programme presenter James Naughtie selects and chairs a series of events: 'There is something palpable in the voices of many people I speak to at the moment: a sense that many of the political and social assumptions of the past thirty years are evaporating. We can try to get a sense of the new mood, and of the changes that are on the way, in a series of conversations with leading public figures at the Book Festival. Take one example: the consensus, perhaps broken by recession, that market mechanisms were a magic formula for everything from our health service to our newspapers. How is that argument changing? And another: how do we settle our confusion about the relationship between the individual and the state? I'm looking forward to some fascinating and enlightening discussions.'Sue MacGregor: A Survival Kit for the Information AgeVeteran BBC broadcaster Sue MacGregor selects and chairs a series of events: 'As a radio broadcaster I've been lucky enough to talk about books with their authors over many years. So I'm delighted by a new bookish challenge in Edinburgh - first, being a Guest Selector for the Book Festival; and then exploring how we deal with the Information Age, when ideas good and bad, current events and of course whole books can be flashed across the universe in a nano-second. Our subjects will range from the spread of terrorism to the causes of the financial crisis to the appeal of good food. I think we are bound to have an interesting time.'Chris Riddell: Illustrator in ResidenceJoin one of our best book illustrators for events and masterclasses for adults and children: 'For me, illustrating is about responding to a text and attempting to enhance the reading experience in a sympathetic but compelling way. My great heroes are Sir John Tenniel and William Heath Robinson who have both been major influences on my work. I'm fascinated by the book as an object, particularly in this age of the ereader, and am interested in how visual aspects such as the cover, endpapers, font design and illustration, can add to the pleasure of reading. I'll be working with my long time collaborator Paul Stewart and with Neil Gaiman; both have an extraordinary talent for creating alternative worlds. I'll also be hosting a workshop, drawing live and doing a talk about my political cartoons for the Observer. I hope you enjoy my series of events.'Get Really Stuck In.Debates in the Guardian Spiegeltent This year's popular debates series takes a fresh look at important subjects which affect our everyday lives. We will be rethinking the way we view food, the role of Europe, how democracy works and whether the markets are the best means to regulate society, amongst other hot topics. We will also thrash out the issues around Scotland's Independence. Come along and have your say.One-Day Creative Writing ClassesOur all-day classes take place at the weekends in the intimate Writers' Retreat and focus on specific areas of writing and creating books. Pick up some tricks of the trade with the experts including publisher Alison Baverstock, bookmaking artist Rachel Hazell and the acclaimed authors Rodge Glass and Laura Marney. A sandwich lunch, tea and coffee are included.MasterclassesOur popular masterclass series offers unique access to the ideas of leading writers and illustrators, each focussing on an aspect of a particular writer's work. Among other things you can learn about the intricacies of translation, meet a veteran of the animation industry for an insider's view and find out how one writer turned 20 hours of TV into a novel.UnboundUnbound has proved to be a thoroughly entertaining addition to the programme offering a literary experience like no other. Anything goes: storytelling, music, performance, poetry, stand-up - it's a raw, surprising, sometimes emotional ride. From 9pm every night (12-27 Aug) in the intimate and atmospheric Guardian Spiegeltent; it's free, just drop in. The line-up is announced in July in The Skinny magazine and on our website at www.edbookfest.co.uk.Story Shop - City of Literature EventsCelebrating the short story and its compact beauty, the City of Literature Trust returns to hold a daily Story Shop. It's the perfect chance to hear up-and-coming writers who are living and working in Edinburgh today. Daily at 4pm in the Guardian Spiegeltent; it's free, just drop-in. Read all the stories and find out more about our local writers: www.cityofliterature.com @EdinCityofLitANOBII FIRST BOOK AWARDVote for the book you loved. (See page 4)©John BattenRBS CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMEEvents for children, teens and familiesSee pages 59-80See page 83 for booking detailsBook now: www.edbookfest.co.uk 0845 373 58883