As Edinburgh braces itself for the annual influx of fools, thespians and f**kwits, 3:AM aims to sort out the wheat from the festival chaff.
The days of Trocchi and MacDiarmuid sparring together may be long passed but the International Book Festival (9 - 25 August) can still pack a punch, and hopefully the odd disreputable appearance, in its lineup.
Of the visiting contingent, highlights include Chuck Palahniuk, Will Self, Dan Rhodes, Alan Bissett, Toby Litt, publishing legend John Calder and a rare visit from the great Andrey Kurkov.
Comics and graphic novels are well represented by the presence of Bryan Talbot (Alice in Sunderland), 2000AD supremo Alan Grant, Hannah Berry (Britten and Burlightly) and Dave McKean (The Sandman - pictured).
It’s with native talent though that the festival comes into it’s own, featuring no less than Booker Prize-winning James Kelman, Laura Hird, Irvine Welsh, Liz Lochhead, John Burnside, Kevin Williamson, Tom Pow and Alice Thompson, all key figures in a Scottish writing resurgence.
Check out the official programme for tickets, dates, times and venues and Word Power for other book events off the beaten track.
First posted: Saturday, July 26th, 2008.
