Festival Books

HARDEEP SING KOHLI

As multi-tasking multi-media cultural polymaths go, writer, cook, broadcaster, columnist and all- round top bloke Hardeep Singh Kohli is pretty much up there in the can do stakes. Taking a short interlude from waxing lyrical in the papers or throwing in his tuppenceworth on the radio he comes to the Book festival with his new book Indian Takeaway tucked under his dapper arm which tells the story of Kohli’s attempt to cook his way around Scotland. Chances are he wont’ be lost for words, or something tasty to snack on either. I 23 Aug, 8.30pm, £9 (£7).

SQUESTIONP'

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Irvine Welsh is well and truly ensconced into Scottish literary legend and is a rare living example. But that doesn’t mean he won’t have time to answer some silly questions. Here’s a quintet of them

Give us five words to describe Crime?

Crime is an existential thriller.

Which authors should be more famous than they are noW?

I used to say Ron Butlin, but I think that‘s changing now. I think Doug Johnstone will soon be very famous. If I have to move outside Edinburgh i would say Joe Meno. a great Chicago writer.

What do you love about Edinburgh in August?

The (proper) football season starts and you get to go to Easter Road again. Is there anything else important?

Which dead author do you wish was still alive today?

Seth Morgan. He tragically died after he wrote Homeboy, which was a brilliant novel. He'd have gone on to do great things.

What would you change about the publishing world?

I can't really complain about how I've been treated. If i said longer lunches and bigger advances. they would probably never speak to me again.

I 21 Aug, 6.30pm, £9 (£7).

21 Aug—4 Set) 2008 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 67

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FESTIVAL BOOKS

* Sean Connery No milkman or speech impediment jokes here no matter how tempting it might be. This event sold out in milliseconds as the King of Scotland comes home to launch his autobiography. 25 Aug, 11.30m, £9 (£7).

it Mark Watson The fella is all over Radio 4 currently with his plenty good series on how to help save the world, and here the self—confessed environmental novice details his exploits captured in the accompanying book. See preview, page 68. 23 Aug, 4.30pm, £9 (£7).

* Rosemary Goring Taking up the gargantuan task of writing the history of Scotland from its own point of view, the Herald’s literary editor shows her testimonial finds. See preview, page 68. 25 Aug, 5pm, £9 (£7). It! Gordon Burn Spinning news into novel, Burn weaves celebrity and tragedy together in his pithy Born Yesterday which centres on the events of summer 2007. See preview, page 70.21 Aug, 4.30pm, £6 (£4).

it! Simon Armitage A totally new perspective on the poet who brought us a modern reworking of the medieval Sir Gawain and the Green Knight as he talks gigs, beats and living the life of a rock-star fantasist. See preview, page 69. 23 Aug, 5pm, £9 (£7). * Kei Miller Only two years after his first collection, Kingdom of Empty Bellies, the Jamaican novelist and poet brings fresh perspectives on his experiences of Britain and the Caribbean. See preview, page 70.23 Aug, 11am, £9 (£7); 25 Aug. 7.30pm, £6 (£4). * Bryan Talbot Thirty years” worth of experience means that Talbot is a gem of the graphic novel world. His masterclass promises that you leave endowed with the tricks of the trade. See preview, page 69. 22 Aug,

8. 30pm, £9 (£7).

All events take place in Charlotte Square, unless otherwise indicated. The box office number is 0845 373 5888 and the website is www.cdbookfest.co.uk