Culture
All booked up
Despite some authors’ difficulties in obtaining a visa to attend, the mood at the Edinburgh International Book Festival remains jubilant.
Edinburgh’s festival season is well underway with Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s first week already complete. But for bibliophiles the real treat starts now with the opening of the 16-day annual Edinburgh International Book Festival, one of the world’s largest. Despite a rocky start with a barrage of criticism over the difficult process some authors have had to go through to obtain a visa this year, headlines haven’t dampened the mood. Some 1,000 authors and illustrators from 55 countries are descending on the tented village in leafy Charlotte Square Gardens. While the UK’s heatwave may have subsided for now, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to meet your favourite authors, join a workshop or enjoy a dram at the bar.