See you in Edinburgh?

The program for this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival was announced today; I’ve wanted to go for pretty much as long as I’ve known it existed, and as I currently live a mere three hour train ride away I decided this year had to be the year. However, limited free time (plus a graduate student’s very modest finances) means I can only go for a small part of the festival’s seventeen days duration. I’m unfortunately arriving too late for Meg Rosoff, Cory Doctorow, Kelly Link, Audrey Niffenegger and Neil Gaiman, and leaving too early for A.S. Byatt (though at least I found out that Byatt’s event is for her upcoming contribution to the Canongate Myth Series, Ragnarok: The End of the Gods, to be published in September. Yes, that sound you just heard was my happy tap-dancing.)


As I’m sure you can imagine, I’m particularly disappointed to be missing Neil Gaiman, but part of me hopes he’ll be around for a few days longer and I’ll serendipitously run into him (whether I’d be brave enough to say hi is a whole other matter, though). Plus there have been hints of more UK events in early September, so I’m clinging to that hope.

But enough about what I’m not seeing: I’m planning to attend events by Patrick Ness (!), China Miéville, Shaun Tan (also deserving of a !, methinks), Kate de Goldi (author of my beloved The 10PM Question) and Morris Gleitzman (whose Two Weeks With the Queen is a masterpiece). Plus I’m catching music shows by Amanda Palmer and The National (my favourite band) - I can’t really complain, can I?

Edinburgh in August also means the Fringe Festival, whose extremely diverse program has me completely overwhelmed. So many performances, so little money and time! So far I’ve picked a stage adaptation of The Secret of Monkey Island (a classic of my childhood – I couldn’t not go) and The Girl with the Iron Claws, a puppetry show based on a Norse myth, “The White Bear King”.


I could also go see Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, or The Tempest, or Macbeth, but a) I’m trying not to overcommit myself and leave free time for signings, book browsing, soaking up the festival atmosphere and sightseeing and b) I’m trying to stick to shows that sound a little different and that I’d probably not have the chance to see anywhere else. I’m lucky enough to be going to two Shakespeare’s Globe performances this summer (Halmet near me and Much Ado About Nothing at the actual Globe - insert squeeing here), so there’s that to consider. Anyway, my relative ignorance of theatrical matters plus the incredibly diversity of performances on offer are making me slightly anxious, so if anyone has any tips they’d be very much appreciated.

I’ve been to Edinburgh before, but I’m sure there was plenty that I missed: any city-related tips would be welcomed as well. I was also wondering if anyone else is planning to attend – if so, it would be lovely to say hi. The only downside of all of this is that now I have to work extra hard on my dissertation to make sure I can take those days off in August. But hey, a booklover’s dream holiday is certainly an excellent motivator.