French delegation at the Edinburgh International Book Festival!
Last week the Edinburgh International Book Festival released its 2017 programme, entitled Brave New Words, which seeks to examine "not only the big, global questions exploring truth and post truth, terrorism and fanaticism, gender, diversity and identity, death, globalisation and a little bit of Danish lykke but also celebrates the most joyful, intimate and personal stories of individuals. Conversations, performances, lectures, workshops and discussions featuring writers from over 50 countries offer multiple perspectives, interpretations and translations of the changing world around us.
From the 12th to the 28th of August, Edinburgh will welcome 6 French artists: Michel Bussi, Edouard Louis, Thibault Damour, Mathieu Burniat, Alexis Jenni, and Barroux. Murder mysteries, historical fiction, comic books, children's lit, autobiographical novels... There's something for everyone! Learn more about the various events they will participate in below.
Wioletta Greg & Édouard Louis
OUTSIDERS
Mon 14 Aug 5:45pm-6:45pm - Garden Theatre - Book tickets
Polish poet Wioletta Greg has turned her talents to fiction to produce her debut novel Swallowing Mercury. It’s a coming of age tale set in Communist Poland which examines the fine texture of a close-knit community on the cusp of change. Édouard Louis presents The End of Eddy, an autobiographical novel about growing up gay in the poverty and homophobia of rural France. Meet two novelists who brilliantly explore the world at the margins. Chaired by Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh Festival and Chair of the 2017 Man Booker International Prize.
Michel Bussi & Arne Dahl
MONET, MONET, MONET
Sat 26 Aug 7:00pm-8:00pm - Baillie Gifford Corner Theatre - Book tickets
Black Water Lilies by bestselling French author Michel Bussi is named after a rumoured Monet masterpiece, which seems to be a magnet for murder. Sweden’s Arne Dahl, whose novels have already been translated into over 30 languages, launches a new series with Watching You, where a serial killer seems to be toying with his detective. Join them for a feast of the finest European fiction. Chaired by Jenny Brown.
Mathieu Burniat & Thibault Damour
THE WORLD OF QUANTUM PHYSICS AS A GRAPHIC NOVEL
Sat 19 Aug 2:15pm-3:15pm - Garden Theatre - Book tickets
Dubbed as ‘Tintin meets Brian Cox’, Mysteries of the Quantum Universe gets its head round the mind-bending world of quantum physics in a graphic novel which took France by storm. The authors, Mathieu Burniat (graphic illustrator) and Thibault Damour (theoretical physicist) discuss the book’s phenomenal success and how the graphic novel was the best way to get their points across in an accessible manner.
Alexis Jenni
WINNER OF FRANCE’S COVETED PRIX GONCOURT
Fri 18 Aug 2:30pm-3:30pm - Bosco Theatre (George Street) - Book tickets
How bad does a country have to be before patriotism stops? That’s the question posed by Alexis Jenni. His fascinating novel, The French Art of War, explores the legacy of French colonial wars in Algeria and Indochina and it won him the Prix Goncourt, France’s most coveted literary prize. Described as ‘a song, bathed in blood and fighting’, it was inspired, says Jenni, by the current debate about his country’s national identity.
Welcome to Barroux
AGE 4-7
Sat 26 Aug 1:30pm-2:30pm - Baillie Gifford Imagination Lab - Book tickets
We welcome you to join author-illustrator Barroux with his beautiful story of a polar bear and friends who are forced to search for a new home after their icy habitat disappears. In this delightfully charming event, discover where Barroux gets the inspiration for the illustrations in Welcome and learn about climate and migration.
"Who are we now?" - Visual identity of the 2017 Programme
Info:
Edinburgh International Festival
12-28 August 2017
Email: boxoffice@edbookfest.co.uk Telephone: 0845 373 5888
The complete programme of the festival