THE Borders Book Festival returns to the region this week with a packed schedule of talks and events. From Thursday, June 13 to Sunday, June 16, Harmony Garden in Melrose will be buzzing with excitement as a host of names from the worlds of literature and broadcast descend on the venue for the four-day festival. It will begin with the highly anticipated announcement of the winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction.
The six international authors shortlisted for the £25,000 prize are: Tom Crewe, Kevin Jared Hosein, Joseph O’Connor, Tan Twan Eng, Kai Thomas, and Rose Tremain. Some of the big names heading to Melrose this week include David Nicholls, author of One Day, Great British Sewing Bee presenter Patrick Grant, ex-Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson, and WWII historian James Holland. There will also be time for some laughs at the festival as comedians Janey Godley and Jo Caulfield discuss their memoirs with humour and depth.
Rory Bremner and Fred MacAulay will also take to the festival stage. With the general election in mind, visitors can enjoy insightful talks from broadcaster Robert Peston, BBC stalwarts Clive Myrie and Rory Cellan-Jones, and presenter Louise Minchin. Telling contrasting tales, Kate Humble, the “queen of cosy” will share her approach to the good life, while explorer and filmmaker Benedict Allen tells stories from his 40 years’ of adventures around the globe.
And as the Olympics make their way back to Paris this summer, the festival.
