Whilst the month of August heralds the end of the Scottish summer (though a five-day spell of sunshine hardly merits the term), so too does it mark the beginning of Edinburgh’s iconic ‘festival’ season. Amongst students, the ‘Fringe’ is unequivocally the most celebrated, with a direct correlation existing between an individual’s sense of self-worth and their number of shows attended. But, amidst the fierce flock of flyer-ers and the £10 crepes, the city of Edinburgh also plays host to the International Festival of Books, which, nestled quietly in Charlotte Square Gardens, is no less than a triumph in literary achievement.
In an increasingly digital age, the value of the printed word (as this online article is ironically testament to) is diminishing, but at the Book Festival, we are reminded of literature’s power to not only inform and educate, but to create a unified sense of social equity. Covering the Festival for EUSci was a wonderful opportunity, and I hope that over the course of this short series, I can bring to life some of its most memorable events.
This article was written by Haris Haseeb and edited by Bonnie Nicholson.
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