The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Four fascinating events at festival
THE LION HOUSE
Christopher de Bellaigue A bestselling biography, acclaimed as ‘every bit as gripping as Wolf Hall’, of Suleyman the Magnificent the vastly rich Ottoman Sultan. In the middle of the 16th century he had mastery over millions of people from Baghdad to the walls of Vienna. It is a journey built on brutal choices and intimate relationships and consolidates the author’s magic talent for conjuring up the world of the Ottoman Empire. Today.
THE JAPANESE: A HISTORY IN TWENTY LIVES Christopher Harding, the popular broadcaster and lecturer at Edinburgh University tells the story of Japan, distilled into vivid and entertaining portraits of twenty remarkable individuals. From shamans and warlords, poets and revolutionaries, scientists, artists and adventurers right through to the life of the current empress, Masako. Today
MARY CHURCHILL’S WAR
Winston Churchill’s grand-daughter, Emma Soames, has edited her mother’s diaries, most of which have never been seen before. Mary Churchill was 17 when WW2 broke out and she was uniquely placed to observe this historic moment to which she had a front row view. Today
LOUIS X1V:KING OF THE WORLD Drawing on the latest research in France, Britain and America Philip Mansel explores Louis’ relationship with Scotland from the Garde Ecossaise, personal bodyguards to the French royalty to his defence of the interests of the Stuarts who were allied to him by ties of blood. Today
Boswell Book Festival, at Dumfries House, runs until Sunday.
See www.boswellbookfestival.co.uk