Did you know Edinburgh was the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature? This permanent designation tells the world that Edinburgh is the place for literature, past, present and future.

Edinburgh’s book culture is all around you. Look up! See that Gothic rocket on Princes Street? That’s the world’s largest monument to an author, Sir Walter Scott. Look down! In Makars’ Court you’ll see the words of our writers engraved there. Keep your eyes peeled as you reel in and out of the closes on the Royal Mile – the Encyclopaedia Britannica was born there, Rabbie Burns caroused there, countless books have been inspired by them. Our stories are in the stones…
They’re also alive and loud and kicking in spaces around the city: Edinburgh is home to the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the world’s largest celebration of the written word, as well as some of the smallest, and has a year round programme of fantastic events, organised by the literary folk who call here home – the 28 public libraries, the National Library of Scotland, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, the Scottish Poetry Library and the Scottish Book Trust, not to mention the grassroots impresarios filling cafes and pubs and clubs with words! There also are over 50 bookshops dotted around the city, and spaces and plaques and statues and monuments which sing of Edinburgh’s incredible, rich literary heritage.
City of Literature is a team of two gallus hands with big ideas, working in partnership with all kinds of organisations to promote literature to all kinds of audiences in surprising and inspiring ways, and leading an international network of 5 other cities of literature.

How can you get involved?

Tweet us @EdinCityofLit and find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edinburghcityofliterature

Visit cityofliterature.com and sign up for our free weekly What’s On in literary Edinburgh

Drop by our Salon – on the last Tuesday of every month, we invite the writers, organisers, makers and shakers of literary Edinburgh to get together for an informal natter… there’s wine… We’ll look forward to meeting you, in person or online, and to celebrating our wonderful City of Literature together.