This year the renowned Edinburgh World Writers’ Conference celebrates its fiftieth anniversary with a series of global events debating the role of literature in society.
The first conference in 1962 gathered some of the leading writers of the time, including Norman Mailer, Henry Miller, William Burroughs, Lawrence Durrell and Stephen Spender. The conference in 1962 was historic: each day it featured open and frank discussions about such controversial topics as love, sex and homosexuality. The Conference has also been cited as the starting point for many other literary gatherings and conferences, and even the existence of many of the major book festivals we have today.
Fifty years later, in 2012, the British Council has worked with the Edinburgh International Book Festivaland other international festivals and book fairs to bring a whole constellation of famous writers from around the world to celebrate the anniversary. Having opened on August 17-21 in Edinburgh, the world's first UNESCO City of Literature, in the course of the next year the conference moves on to 15 different countries, including Canada, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Egypt, India, Turkey, China, France, Belgium, Malaysia, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Australia. Thus, it will give writers and readers from all over the world an opportunity to add their voice to the growing debate about writing and its relationship to contemporary life.
The Russian leg of the Edinburgh World Writer’s Conference takes it to Siberia, where UK and Russian authors will tackle three of the conference themes over three days at the Krasnoyarsk Book Culture Fair on November 1-3 2012. To kick things off Melvin Burgess will discuss with fellow author Andrei Astvatsaturov UK and Russian perspectives on the universal question ‘Should Literature be Political’? Day 2 will explore ‘The Future of the Novel’ with keynotes from UK writer Tibor Fischer and the Russian author and critic Konstantin Milchin. On the third and final day Theresa Breslin will bring the Scottish view to the question of ‘A National Literature?’ drawing comparison and contrast with a country the size of Russsia, represented by Kirill Kobrin.
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