Looking up into an audience that, by the sounds of their questions, had been coming to see her at the Festival for years, Candia McWilliam smiled the words “Enlightenment isn’t some fuzzy phenomenon”. Nothing could have been more appropriate as she read aloud a newly-written love letter to Edinburgh, imbued with all the hope and optimism of someone who has seen light re-enter their life. Her memoir ‘What to Look For in Winter’, recounts her recovery from blindness and does so with a remarkable tenderness and elegance of prose, refusing to submit to the temptation to become yet another tale of woe. On the contrary, her affection for both the city and her audience resonated in every word she spoke.
Scottishpower Studio Theatre, 18 Aug, 8.30pm (9.30pm), £10.00, eibfpp23.
[sj]
Sections: by Samuel Johnston - ED2011 Book Reviews | Tags: Candia McWilliam, Edinburgh International Book Festival
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