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IRVINE WELSH Jogging back into the past with Begbie and co
While we Scots haven’t got the best reputation for putting fit- ness and health at the top of our to-do lists, Irvine Welsh is doing his bit for the image of his nation in further-off climes. Now mainly based in the US, he has had to knock marathon- running on the head ‘because of the pressure on the knees’, but he’s keeping in shape with one of his previous loves. ‘I went to the boxing clubs when I was about 12 but you
painfully realise that you’ve not got it when you get hit on the nose. But now boxing is a good menopausal thing for me to do other than the usual stuff and I really got into it, because if you’re desk-bound like I am then you have to do something to stop yourself bloating into a fat bastard.’ With Skagboys, his prequel to Trainspotting, having hit the
shelves this year, this chapter perhaps marks a drawing of the line under an era and a set of characters. ‘With the age I’m at, I’m much more reflective and interested in how they got into their situation, whereas back then I thought it was a boring pre- amble. I wanted to get straight into this tight group of fucked- up desperados and that sub culture rather than how they got there.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ 18 Aug, 9.30pm, £10 (£8).
ETGAR KERET A literary Blues Brother holds court
Etgar Keret is looking forward to returning to the Edinburgh International Book Festival: ‘I’ve been to the fes- tival once and being a spoiled brat wouldn’t have came again unless I know for a fact that I’m going to have a great time.’ He’ll be doing two events this year; in the first, he’s with award-winning Irish writer Kevin Barry, in which he’ll read from his latest collection, the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award nominee, Suddenly, A Knock on the Door. Barry’s Dark Lies the Island was on there too, with the spoils taken by What We Talk About When We Talk
About Anne Frank, by Nathan Englander, with whom Keret will share the stage in his second event. In a special masterclass they’ll contemplate the relationship between author and translator, exploring how a story lives and grows from one language to another. Which event holds most appeal: reading from his own work, or musing upon the landscape of translation? ‘I always like having events with Nathan Englander. He is a close friend and we’ve already had a few events together and enough fun on stage to feel like some literary Blues Brothers. Then again, talking about your sto- ries and reading them is kind of talking about myself, which had always been one of my favourite topics.’
Keret has been declared a ‘genius’ by The New York Times and one of the most original writers of his genera- tion, and the Guardian said the stories in Suddenly were all ‘thought-experiments’. So what exactly should an uninitiated audience expect of the Keret experience? ‘It will definitely change the audience’s life.’ If you like your stories served with a side of magic and garnished with the unexpected, these two events should be central to your festival agenda. (Peggy Hughes) ■ 16 Aug (with Kevin Barry), 7pm, £7 (£5); 17 Aug (with Nathan Englander), 7pm, £10 (£8).
PREVIEWS FESTIVAL BOOKS
TOP 5
KIDS EVENTS Brian Donaldson picks the five things you should take the children to this week
Patrick Ness With A Monster Calls, Ness is cementing his already burgeon- ing reputation as a must-read author for the 12–16 group. When this book about a boy dealing with his mother’s bat- tle against cancer won him the Carnegie Medal, Ness said the experience was ‘extremely hum- bling, and a little unnerving’. 16 Aug, 5pm, £7 (£5).
Michael Morpurgo As if he wasn’t doing well enough, the success of War Horse has taken things to anoth- er level for the former Children’s Laureate. Here he discusses the process of having another of his books, Private Peaceful, being adapted for the big screen. 17 Aug, 5pm, £4.50.
Louise Rennison A Midsummer Tights Dream is the latest adventure in the Tallulah Casey series and fea- tures more delirious chaos at Dother Hall performing arts col- lege. 18 Aug, 2pm, £4.50.
Doctor Who The Who cult shows little sign of cooling off and this event features Jenny Colgan (who has written the new Time Lord book, Dark Horizon) and sci-fi author Steve Cole to discuss just why the Doctor continues to get right under our skin. 19 Aug, 8pm, £4.50. Melvin Burgess & Margo Lanagan Writing for young adults might occasionally mean touching on some dark materials and these two have had their fair share of both plaudits and brick- bats. 20 Aug, 6.30pm, £4.50.
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