25th October 2025 | |
2pm | |
Institut francais d Ecosse Institut français d'Ecosse West Parliament Square, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1RF |
|
This is a free event | |
Visit the event website here | |
Follow ifecosse on Twitter | |
Facebook information can be found here | |
Follow ifecosse on Instagram |
Scottish author Lisa Ballantyne and French author Elise Hugueny-Léger will be at the Institut français d’Écosse to talk about their novels and connections to France, and to sign copies of their books.
Lisa Ballantyne is the internationally bestselling author of five novels. Her debut, The Guilty One was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award, Longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award, and was also a Richard and Judy Book Club bestseller. Her second novel, Good Bad Love, (published as Everything She Forgot in America) was a USA Today bestseller. She has been a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellow in France, supported by Scottish Book Trust and Creative Scotland. Her work has been translated into nearly thirty languages. Her most recent novel is The Innocent One, published in 2023. She lives in Glasgow.
Elise Hugueny-Léger moved to England in 2002 to work as a French language assistant. She earned her PhD at Durham University (2004–2007), focusing on the works of Annie Ernaux, and joined the French Department at the University of St Andrews in 2008. In 2024 she published her first creative writing non-fiction, Twenty twenty: petites traversées franco-britanniques (Editions Créaphis), a tale of the constant in-between, between one country, France, and another, the United Kingdom, between two cultures, but also between the outside world and the world of thoughts and memories.
Event chaired by Magnus Linklater, CBE, journalist
In partnership with the Edinburgh Bookshop
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Edinburgh, click here to find out more!
Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Edinburgh? Follow us on Facebook and join the What's On Scotland Group!Join the Edinburgh Quadrille Society and learn dances from the Jane Austen / Bridgerton era at Institut français d'Écosse!
READ MOREWant to practice your French in an informal setting? Join us at the Institut français d’Écosse for a relaxed morning chat – over a cup of coffee or tea and a croissant or pain au chocolat!
READ MOREThis talk examines a series of important, but less well-studied, figures who shaped the Auld Alliance during the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries.
READ MOREClarisse Godard Desmarest, Professor of British Cultural Studies at the University of Picardie Jules Verne, presents this talk on The Aftermath of the Auld Alliance.
READ MORELes Diaboliques is a 1955 French psychological horror thriller film with a brilliant twist ending. Catch is at Institut français d’Écosse on Friday 24th October!
READ MOREDiscover the iconic Scottish artist’s delicate floral designs, and learn step by step how to mimic his style in elegant watercolours, all this in a creative and welcoming atmosphere.
READ MOREStep into the lively world of Breton dance with BreizhAlba at the Institut français d'Ecosse on 25th October!
READ MORECome along to the Institut français d'Ecosse on Saturday 25th October for this talk and book signing with Jenny Colgan, one of the most successful and prolific authors of feel-good fiction in the UK!
READ MOREJoin us at Institut français d’Écosse for a spooky and magical storytime on Saturday 25th October!
READ MOREJoin us at the Institut français d'Ecosse for the very first Cinetopia Salon, a new monthly gathering where cinema meets live performance, nibbles and drinks, and good conversation!
READ MORESilent Screen Scotland returns to Edinburgh with "Fright Night: Silent Movie Screening" - a candlelit screening of Nosferatu accompanied by live score at the Institut français d'Écosse!
READ MOREDiscover the legacy of Pierre Boulez (1925-2016), one of the most influential figures in post-war European music and culture, through a series of conferences and concerts.
READ MOREEnjoy a screening of the buoyant comedy 'The Safe House' at the Institut français d'Écosse on Saturday 8th November, followed by a Q&A with film director Lionel Baier!
READ MOREJoin us at the Institut français d'Ecosse on Friday 21st November for this screening of Paris Memories!
READ MOREJoin Opera Caledonia for a day of concerts & events celebrating the vast variety of musical & dramatic styles of French opera, set in the stunning surroundings of the Institut français d’Écosse!
READ MORECome and test your knowledge about France and French language in a fun and relaxed atmosphere at the Institut français d’Ecosse on Friday 5th December!
READ MOREMany authors have been inspired to pick up their pen to write about the Palace of Holyroodhouse. These sessions will explore these literary works followed by a hearty discussion!
READ MOREYou are warmly invited to join us at the German Church for our Rhyme Time for Under 5s, once a month during term time!
READ MORECome along to the Institut français d'Ecosse on Saturday 25th October for this talk and book signing with Jenny Colgan, one of the most successful and prolific authors of feel-good fiction in the UK!
READ MOREJoin Scottish author Lisa Ballantyne and French author Elise Hugueny-Léger at the Institut français d’Écosse on 25th October as they talk about their novels and connections to France!
READ MOREPlease join us for our Black and Brown Book Club meet-up! For Black History Month, we will be reading Yinka, where is your huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn.
READ MOREWaterstones Edinburgh West End is delighted to welcome Allison Meldrum along to the shop on Wednesday 29th October to celebrate the publication of her absorbing and pacy new thriller, Keep Me Safe.
READ MORECome and meet internationally bestselling children's author, Hannah Gold, on Wednesday 5th November, as she signs copies of her thrilling tale of arctic adventure, The Lone Husky!
READ MORELed by Dr Elspeth Jajdelska, READ WRITE HEAR is a live, hands-on event exploring how reading has been shared, spoken, and shaped by setting, voice, and gesture across time.
READ MOREJoin Professor Alice Roberts as she takes us on an investigative journey to establish who spread Christianity, how and why; the story of the fall of an Empire – and the rise of another!
READ MORE