The Edinburgh International Book Festival returns from 9 to 24 August with a programme themed around ‘Repair’. Festival CEO Jenny Niven explains why mending what’s broken – in society, the environment and ourselves – is the urgent conversation we need
Now in its 46th year, the Edinburgh International Book Festival returns for two weeks this August, bringing together authors and literary fans from across the globe. We spoke to the festival’s CEO Jenny Niven about the issues this year’s theme, ‘Repair’, aims to shed light on.
The theme this year is Repair, ‘which seeks to explore the many things around us which feel broken, and how we might seek to fix them’. What inspired the choice of this theme for the 2025 festival, and how do you see it resonating with today’s audiences?
We believe that dialogue and discussion are a positive and hopeful thing in and of themselves. It can feel at the moment like there is just an onslaught of difficult news and irresolvable conflict.
But amongst all of that there are also brilliant thinkers and great ideas in the world about how we can move forward, and how we might be able to do things differently. So our programme aims to showcase those, some of the terrific books that help convey those ideas, and also to remind people that getting offline and being face-to-face with other people – even ones you don’t always agree with – can be a fun, uplifting, and even cathartic thing to do.
How does the festival plan to explore the concept of repair across different dimensions: social, environmental, political and personal through its programming?
We’re looking at the idea of repair through a range of lenses. One of those is environmental, looking at how new concepts might help us repair our imbalance with the natural world. So we have Robert McFarlane talking about his new book about rivers having personhood status, and likewise the amazing Monica Feria Tinta, ‘Barrister for the Earth’ on how to reset our relationship with the environment at a structural level.
We’re also looking at how we’ve become so divided, and how to have difficult conversations, with people like Ash Sarkar, AC Grayling and Deborah Frances White. Philippe Sands is looking at the International Criminal Court and reconciliation and elsewhere the wonderful novelist Hanif Kureishi joins us from his hospital bed sharing how writing has helped him repair in very profound ways after his terrible accident in 2022.
Can you share specific examples of events or authors in this year’s programme that embody the theme of repair in unexpected ways?
It’s clear our audiences are increasingly interested in participating as well as just listening, so we’ve got a full programme of workshops and activities also related to repair. For instance, we’ve got sessions on the Japanese art of kintsugi, where broken ceramics are repaired in such a way as to make them more valuable, or Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton teaching us how you might repair a failing manuscript or novel… we’ve even got fermentation to repair your gut health.
We’re taking the theme in quite playful directions too so we’ve invited the brilliant Scottish novelist Jenni Fagan to curate a cabaret on Frankenstein (the ultimate example of repair) to celebrate a re-edition of that classic, along with two upcoming Frankenstein films, one of which was shot in Edinburgh.
The festival features 641 writers from 35 countries. How does this diversity contribute to a global conversation about repair and healing?
We’ve got some really challenging geopolitical conversations in the programme spanning events in the Middle East, looking at the changing face of the American political landscape, or exploring how indigenous leaders are protesting the destruction of the Amazon.
Hearing first hand from writers and journalists at times of great change is a vital way of understanding the world around us, bringing seemingly distant and abstract things into proper focus.
Getting offline and being face-to-face with other people – even ones you don’t always agree with – can be a fun, uplifting, and even cathartic thing to do
It isn’t all challenge though – some of the huge eternal joy from book festivals is bringing writers who specialise in the imagination to audiences, so hearing a brilliantly told story from a writer from somewhere you’ve never been, whether that’s Korea or New Zealand or France, is one of the best ways to explore the world and build curiosity and empathy for other people.
In what ways do you hope the theme of Repair will inspire attendees to take action in their own lives or communities?
On site at the Festival, we’ve got two little garden sheds programmed with activities for the whole duration of the festival where audiences can drop in and try out first hand very practical repair tasks including sewing, mending, bike repairs and 3D printing.
Through that work, we’re getting more drawn into the ‘Repair’ community as an organisation too which is brilliant, and positively affecting the way we’re working as a festival.
For instance, ‘The Wee Spoke Hub’, who we’ve approached to do bike repair workshops, are now lending any participating author who wants a bicycle for the duration of their stay in Edinburgh, which helps us meet our ambitions around reducing our carbon footprint too.
How does the festival’s Young Adult programme, featuring authors, approach the theme of repair for younger audiences?
We’re really committed to creating great programmes for children and young people. A ‘National Year of Reading’ was announced for 2026 just last week in recognition of the literacy crisis and decline of reading for pleasure for young people, and we have a key role to play in turning that around.
Over 5,000 children will visit the festival from schools across Scotland and nearly as many again will visit with their families as part of the public programme. In some ways publishing for children and young people has never been more vibrant or diverse, so there’s a really terrific opportunity to pull kids back into reading.
Publishing for children and young people has never been more vibrant or diverse
As a parent of three kids myself I know they are a discerning bunch. We have terrific writers like Michael Rosen, Julia Donaldson, Rob Biddulph and Pamela Butchart with us. But lots of our older Young Adult audiences are interested in quite challenging topics as well as all the fun stuff so we’re pleased to have, for instance, the brilliant Laura Bates talking with young people on feminism at our Teen Takeover Day.
The ‘Table Talk’ series combines food and conversation. How does this format contribute to the theme of repairing relationships or fostering community?
We started our Table Talks series last year and they were immediately a huge hit. This is about having people sit down together and do what we all do over food – bond, gossip, dissect the menu – except this time you get to do it with some of the most exciting food writers out there, from Sami Tamimi and his exploration of Palestinian food, to Benjamina Ebuehi and her delicious sweet treats.[red dot]
The Edinburgh International Book Festival runs from 9th to 24th August. Find out more here
Main image: Mihaela Bodlovic
