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Boswell Book Festival

Boswell Book Festival, the world's only festival of biography and memoir, comes to Dumfries House for 2025 between the 9th and 11th May!

Boswell Book Festival

About Boswell Book Festival

The world’s only festival of biography and memoir, set in the spectacular grounds of Dumfries House, draws an enthusiastic audience attracted by its unique theme.

Inspired by the great Ayrshire biographer James Boswell of Auchinleck, at the heart of the Festival is a programme of stories taken from the inspirational lives of people past and present - told through talks, drama, art and music.

Through the Festival, the Boswell Trust also engages with primary and secondary schools across Ayrshire and beyond to introduce young readers and writers to authors and illustrators who explore lives past and present.

This happens at Dumfries House, in school and on-line. Authors local and international come to the Festival for discussions, workshops and performances that bring biography and memoir to life.

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