UNESCO City of Literature
Edinburgh is the world's first UNESCO City of Literature
Edinburgh is the world's first UNESCO City of Literature. The idea of a having a 'City of Literature' originated in Edinburgh. With the support of the Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish Executive the idea was developed and taken to UNESCO's Executive Board for approval. They endorsed the idea in 2004 and Edinburgh’s year as UNESCO City of Literature began in January 2007. This project will build into a network of cities of literature sharing their literary culture with the world.
The first project of the City of Literature is One Book - One Edinburgh. 25,000 free copies of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped will be distributed in February to encourage as many people as possible to read this exciting adventure book by one of Edinburgh’s most famous sons.
“We chose Kidnapped because it’s a great book by a great Edinburgh writer and it appeals to both adults and children” said Ali Bowden the manager of the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust.
Five different versions of Stevenson's novel are being published - a paperback, a graphic novel and two simplified versions and a version in Scots. Of the 25,000 free copies, 10,000 will be the original text with a preface by Louise Welsh in a new paperback from Canongate, 7,500 will be a specially commissioned graphic novel by writer Alan Grant and illustrator Cam Kennedy, who have worked on hundreds of comic titles among them classics like Judge Dredd, Batman and Star Wars and finally there are 7,500 copies of a simplified edition for a younger audience, both published by Waverley. The two versions published for sale are a modern text version for young readers published by Barrington Stoke and a Scots version by Matthew Fitt and James Robertson called Kidnappit published by Black and White. The range of styles and formats is intended to appeal to all ages and types of reader.
There are more than 30 related events, including exhibitions, aliterary walking tour and a series of discussions, the first of which is on 1st February with Ian Rankin and others discussing the gothic, the criminal and Stevenson. Donald Smith, Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, has scripted an irreverent version of the Kidnapped story - When Kilts Were Banned. The 1971 film of the story, starring Michael Caine and Donald Pleasance, will be at the Filmhouse on 24th February.
