Edinburgh International Book Festival announces Repair as theme for 2025 programme
Repair is the Book Festival’s core theme for 2025, seeking to explore the many things around us which feel broken, and how we might seek to fix them.
Article Source: Edinburgh International Book Festival
Last Updated: 10 June 2025 12:10
Edinburgh International Book Festival announces its 2025 programme with close to 700 events featuring writers from all over the globe, taking place from 09-24 August, as it returns to Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) for the second year, inspiring vital discussion and dissection of the cultural zeitgeist on a global stage.
With a lineup ranging from Yellowface author R F Kuang, who appears as part of the festival’s newly programmed Young Adults strand, which directly responds to topics of social and cultural importance often driven by the digital landscape, to firm festival favourites Denise Mina, Chris Brookmyre, V E Schwab, and Ali Smith, there is something for every audience to enjoy. In a first for the August Festivals, the Book Festival also unveils plans for a dedicated children’s zone, offering families an oasis away from the bustle of the city this summer.
The key theme this year is Repair, with the Festival seeking to explore the many things around us which feel broken, and how we might seek to fix them. Using informed insights from a range of experts, lessons learned from our ancestors, the richness and connection offered by the natural world, hands-on activities, and our own inherent humanity, the Festival offers a wide range of active opportunities to rebalance the mind, reinvigorate the spirit, reconcile with others, and restore a sense of calm and hope in the face of a world in chaos.
The theme will be explored from every angle including by Robert Macfarlane, Louise Welsh, and ‘barrister for the earth’ Monica Feria-Tinta discussing the beinghood of nature with debate around whether rivers should be granted personhood, and political repair and conflict resolution will be in the spotlight as human rights lawyer Philippe Sands and journalist Steve Crawshaw ask whether ‘justice’ can really be restored. Elsewhere historian Olesya Khromeychuk and journalist Jen Stout honour the legacy of Ukrainian novelist and war crimes researcher Victoria Amelina, who died from injuries caused by a Russian missile attack, and Omar El Akkad, Katie Kitamura and Yiyun Li extol the role that literacy and reading have in maintaining a democracy.
Indigenous Australian writer Melissa Lucashenko, and Anishinaabe journalist and author Tanya Talaga illuminate First Nations perspectives on truth, legacy, and repair, while artist, musician, performer, and writer Siôn Parkinson and mycologist Nicholas P Money champion the infinite potential of mushrooms, and journalist Ash Sarkar will wade right into the middle of the culture wars. There will also be interactive events such as trying the Japanese art of kintsugi with Halle O’Neal, and exploring ‘multisolving’ with Alex Pearson.
Jenny Niven, Director of Edinburgh International Book Festival, said:
“This year’s key theme of Repair starts from the belief that the brilliant ideas of writers and thinkers can help us repair a host of seemingly ‘broken’ things in our society, from the cycle of fast fashion and our relationship with the environment, to cultural reparations and the state of our politics. It’s a statement of hope and resilience, and an invitation for our audiences to think about what repair might mean for them.
At a time when important conversations can feel impossible to have without igniting conflict and anger, we want the Edinburgh International Book Festival to provide a safe place for challenging but considered discussions. This year our programme features over 600 writers and artists from 35 countries, who have a wide range of perspectives on topics of personal, social and global importance. We invite you to come and learn something new, feed your curiosity and to broaden your horizons.
The Book Festival is also a space for play and creativity, and we have an imaginative feast in store for audiences too – from stories from all around the world, to commissions of brand-new music and theatre, a Frankenstein themed cabaret, and a brand-new Kids Zone for our youngest audiences and their families, as well as a dedicated Young Adults programme for the very first time. So we hope people can have a fully rounded experience, all under one roof. We can’t wait to see you there.”
The 2025 programme will hinge around a range of new themes. Hundreds of the world’s best fiction writers, including many of Scotland’s most exciting voices, and dozens of debut authors, will share their new and most notable works in the Brilliant Fiction strand. Leith legend Irvine Welsh continues the antics of the Trainspotting crew through the 1980s and 90s, A L Kennedy explores the nature of justice and mercy, and the power of Andrey Kurkov hope and kindness; Judy Murray plays a match of mystery and murder; Bella Mackie brings us a comical mystery of fatal family dynamics; and Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins introduces her new thriller.
The Festival also gathers some of the most exciting fiction writers working internationally, including Korea’s Hwang Sok-yong, Ukraine’s Andrey Kurkov, Spain’s Javier Cercas, China’s Liu Zhenyun, Brail’s Cacica Juma Xipaia, France’s Laurent Binet, Aotearoa-New Zealand’s Becky Manawatu, and Germany’s Daniel Kehlman.
The recently announced Front List series will return for the second year at McEwan Hall, in partnership with Underbelly, to present an expanded series of exciting events representing the breadth of the Book Festival’s offering, with a star-studded host of authors which includes Maggie O’Farrell, Ta-Nehisi Coates , Nicola Sturgeon, Yulia Navalnaya, Ian McEwan, R F Kuang, Ally McCoist, Ruth Jones, Butter author Asako Yuzuki, Mark Kermode and guest Brian Cox.
Fascinating Non-Fiction will explore everything from moving memoirs to scientific excavations, family odysseys to travelogues. Highlights include Naga Munchetty exposing the misogyny she discovered to be rife throughout the British healthcare system, smash-hit podcaster Adam Buxton rambling on in his inimitable manner with his new memoir, I Love You, Byeee, indefatigable comedian Ivo Graham extolling the benefits of failure, and Labour politician Diane Abbott discusses her inspirational new memoir, A Woman Like Me.
Good Information, brings together a host of trustworthy experts well versed in sifting out hard fact and cutting through murky algorithms to give you an honest account of a diverse range of topics. Highlights include technology adviser to the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Richard Susskind explaining the impacts of AI, Gabriel Gatehouse, Deborah Baker, and Leor Zmigrod exploring why conspiracy theories can be so seductive, and Deborah Frances-White tackling how to have difficult conversations.
New World Orders gathers the most authoritative voices across international and domestic politics, conflict, economics, and law to engage with and dissect current affairs. Vince Cable explores the emergence of new superstates and a host of voices including Avi Shlaim, Ilan Pappé, Pankaj Mishra, Penny Johnson, Raja Shehadeh, Anne Applebaum, Omar El Akkad, and Fady Judah unravel the long and catastrophic history between Israel and Palestine, including the most recent and devastating series of attacks.
Brainwaves holds up a magnifying glass to all things cranial, including mental health, neuroscience, and psychology. A host of scientists, psychologists, technologists, and authors offer their insights into the wonders, and limitations, of what lies between our ears (and beyond), including mathematician Marcus du Sautoy’s exploration of the creativity of numbers, Joseph Jebelli’s treatise for the transformative power of rest, and Lucy Easthope’s framework on how to cope with crisis.
The 2025 Festival will also see the return of some of 2024’s most popular programme themes, including How to Live a Meaningful Life, guiding audiences new and deeper ways of creating connection, resilience and hope, amongst the chaos, and the expanded Table Talks series, with top chefs and food writers taking to the stage – or rather around the table – in intimate gatherings with audiences to enjoy delicious food and make memories together.
Music, Poetry and Performance showcases the very best of the poetry and spoken word sphere at the Festival’s Spiegletent, which will return for the second year, including indie songwriter Hamish Hawk with an original and exclusive homage to Scotland’s pre-eminent poet-eccentric Ivor Cutler, and fresh poetic talent alongside well-established voices like Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Makar Peter Mackay, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Len Pennie and Michael Mullen.
Elsewhere, Olivier Award-winning Harriet Walter gives an overdue voice to the women of Shakespeare, a starry cast including Vanessa Redgrave and Viggo Mortensen perform powerful messages of protest from around the world in The People Speak, and Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood shares the band’s intimate inside story.
Special Editions also brings a selection of quirky and upbeat events including cabaret, live podcasts, and exclusive talks. Val McDermid unveils the world premiere reading of her brand-new play, And Midnight Never Come, Outlander’s Sam Heughan raises a glass to the art of the cocktail and the moments they’ve marked on his incredible journey, Caroline O’Donoghue’s wildly popular Sentimental Garbage podcast returns with another live Book Festival edition, and comedian Tim Key tells of high tales and low moments in Hollywood.
Audiences will have the chance to take an in-depth look at the little details that make a writer’s work really sing or expand on their own creative skills with an exciting range of Workshops. From How to Become a Bookbinder with Rachel Hazell, to exploring the archives of Muriel Spark and Jackie Kay at the National Library of Scotland (the latter with the author herself) and engaging with some of the most knowledgeable minds around, not least Booker Prize-winning novelist and screenwriter Eleanor Catton. And our wide-ranging Thought Exercise series offers the chance to engage in deep discussion with figures including Pulitzer Prize finalist Deborah Baker, author and psychoanalyst Josh Cohen, diplomat and former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Russia, Laurie Bristow, and economist John Kay.
The Festival will also debut a brand-new Young Adults programme with events tailored to audiences aged 30 and under (but open to anyone young at heart!). Highlights include Alice Oseman, creator of the smash-hit Heartstopper series, returning to the Festival, model and activist Munroe Bergdorf discussing everything from beauty standards to cancel culture, and Caroline O’Donoghue showcasing her new YA sci-fi fantasy romance.
The strand will also harness the power of the online literary sphere, by including a collaboration with the brilliant House of YA, Sad Ghost Club’s Lize Meddings, a special Festival edition of the Bookshop Crawl UK, and the first Scottish edition of the Insta-popular Buffy’s Book Club with Lizzy Hadfield.
Our youngest audience members can enjoy a brand-new Kids Zone, providing a much-needed hub for families amongst the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh’s festival landscape. This year’s children’s programme will also include more than 100 exciting events for young readers, including from legendary children’s authors such as Michael Rosen, Jacqueline Wilson, and How to Train Your Dragon’s Cressida Cowell. There are also dozens of free, drop-in events, including the return of the popular Are You Sitting Comfortably? and Bookbug storytimes, a chance to go wild with National Museums Scotland, and the opportunity to meet beloved characters including Pikachu, the Gruffalo, and Supertato.
Community-driven events are also aplenty, with Stories and Scran celebrating the dynamic and thought-provoking work created by communities across Edinburgh and beyond, and Together We Repair challenging local writers and poets to respond to the Festival’s core theme. During August, the Festival’s Communities team will also facilitate off-site learning events with leading writers in 9 prisons across the city, 3 workshops with patients at Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Children & Young People, and 2 interactive sessions with users of Streetreads, the library for the homeless community of Edinburgh.
For the second year, the Book Festival will also present its flagship industry event, Global Ink: Discover the Power of International Collaboration – uniting publishing professionals from around the world for thought-provoking discussion, followed by a vibrant drinks reception to spark new connections.
In addition to the Festival’s main base at EFI, there will be events at McEwan Hall and Elliott’s Studio, as well as special offerings at the National Library of Scotland and Dynamic Earth. For those who cannot attend in person, 100+ events will be livestreamed and available on demand to audiences across the world to watch wherever and whenever they prefer, including to libraries in twelve Scottish local authorities. And for the first time, in addition to dozens of events being live captioned, the Festival will use AI to bring the number of captioned events to 500, meaning that an additional 400 events will be more accessible than ever before.
As well as reduced ticket prices for students, anyone over 60 and guests with access requirements, the Festival also introduces a special new ticket pricing for Under 30s, and £5 tickets for many events for those receiving low-income benefits, to tackle economic barriers to engagement.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival is made possible thanks to the support of a range of funders and supporters including Creative Scotland, Edinburgh City Council, Players of People’s Postcode Lottery among others.
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