Edinburgh International Book Festival

We are delighted to announce that Tony Birch will be attending the 2024 Edinburgh International Book Festival. You can buy tickets to all of Tony's sessions at the links below.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival: the world-leading festival of words, literature, and ideas.

Every August The Edinburgh Interatnational Book Festival presents the largest public celebration of the written word in the world, bringing together over 500 events with the most exciting writers and thinkers on the planet to ignite imaginations, foster human connection, and challenge the status quo.

We hope you can join in, whether in person or online.

Tony Birch & Fred D’Aguiar: The Secrets We Tell

Sunday 18 August 14:00 - 15:00

Silence breaks. Truths materialise. And those coaxed into invisibility emerge from the shadows. Deirdre Osborne leads award-winning Aboriginal Australian author Tony Birch and British-Guyanese poet and novelist Fred D’Aguiar in a conversation about their latest novels. In Women & Children, Birch ignites family strength against generational trauma, whilst in For the Unnamed, D’Aguiar gives voice to a victorious Black jockey whose name has been hidden from history.

Close Read: Tony Birch

Tuesday 20 August 10:15 - 11:45

Tony Birch is the Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne, and author of award-winning works including Ghost River and The White Girl. In today’s Close Read, the beloved author, academic, and activist will explore the novel, A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, and the feature film adaptation, Kes, by Ken Loach. Bring your curiosity and passion for great literature (and film!), and throw yourself into this enlightening discussion.

Tony Birch & Zoë Strachan: Here and There

Tuesday 20 August 16:00 - 17:00

Set on opposite sides of the world, Tony Birch and Zoë Strachan have both written subtle, insightful novels exploring class, womanhood, and families in the 1960s. Women & Children is Australian writer Tony Birch’s novel of loss, sisters, and courage. Meanwhile Scottish writer Zoë Strachan’s Catch the Moments as They Fly tells of a family trying to escape a shameful past. Join the authors for what’s sure to be a lively conversation chaired by Kim Sherwood.

View the full program here.