Edinburgh International Book Festival
Time for books and letters in the city
Literature has been an important part of the Edinburgh’s history. In fact, the capital of Scotland was designated the first UNESCO City of Literature in 2004. It was not a casuality, during its history Edinburgh has seen lots of writers and it has been scenario of several novels. Indeed, every single corner in Edinburgh has its magic and the city is full of book shops.
As a part of this love for the literature, the Edinburgh International Book Festival began in 1983 and is one of the most important events every summer. Although it was biennal at first, the Book Festival became yearly in 1997. Nowadays, Charlotte Square, sited in the New Town, is the Festival’s home and its gardens are transformed into a tended village with a really nice atmosphere which are visited by around 200.000 people every year.
The Festival is one of the most famous festivals of its kind in the world and includes a high profile debates and discussions series. Workshops, storytelling, panel discussions or book signings are some of the activities of the festival. Also, writers from all over the world are involved on it in forums in which readers can exchange thoughts and opinions with them.
Find out more stories like this one with the historical map in Timeline Trip Edinburgh