Three major Scottish literary figures – Alan Taylor, Louise Welsh, and Sophie Cooke – discussed a myriad of topics: Welsh touched on the variety contained in this country, noting that the accents and landscape change every forty miles, while Cooke suggested factors that lend a distinctive shape to Scottish literature – this includes socioeconomic status; although many English ‘Best Young Writers’ come from state schools and Oxbridge, that is not the case up here. Taylor added a theory about the Scottish attitude of mind, formed by geography, education, and the religious atmosphere. Much more could have been said, but of course, one could spend days hashing out the nuances without scratching the surface – which is, surely, one of the strengths of Scottish literature itself.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 28 Aug, 5.00pm (6.00pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp52.
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“When I was a child, it occurred to me that I would die.” Byatt’s revelation stems from her experiences as a wartime child reading the myth of Ragnarok; this is no comforting fairy tale, but an inexorable disaster in which the gods fail. The haunting final image Byatt paints is of a black liquid surface, broken only by floating golden chess pieces, echoing an ecological doom we moderns cannot halt. The myths have twined around Byatt’s life to the extent that she thinks about them every day. But thankfully, she is not mired in her past; she speaks joyfully about her Kindle, and is quite comfortable with modern technology, although her computer is banned from speaking to her.

RBS Main Theatre, 28 Aug, 3.00pm (4.00pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp52.
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Three up-and-coming poets read from their debut collections. Will Eaves explored his mother’s death and relationships through a variety of metaphors, including football matches and charity shops. Rachael Boast’s reading was punctuated with a soundtrack of Tattoo fireworks, to which she calmly responded by reading a poem about same. The work of Ryan Van Winkle is suffused with nostalgia, though he tempered that by describing a job in which he cleaned up roadkill. Although the reading-only format meant that the poetry was prominent, it would have been welcome to hear the poets discussing how they moved from publishing individual poems to the challenges of structuring a collection.

RBS Corner Theatre, 20 Aug, 8.30pm (9.30pm), £5.00 – £7.00, bfpp29.
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A somewhat garbled discussion about Appignanesi’s most recent book, ‘All About Love’. This work was a natural progression for her – from insanity, the focus of her previous book, she moves onto love, which she described as the only socially-sanctioned form of madness. However, her summaries seemed contradictory. She initially mentioned ‘threesomes’ solely in the context of infidelities, which would leave polyamorous couples completely excluded, then later claimed that ‘twosomes are very tricky’ and that a third person is needed. Apart from a child or perhaps an overly intrusive housekeeper, what other thirds are available to round out a relationship? Perhaps the main problem stems from the difficulties in tackling such an incredibly complex topic.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 20 Aug, 3.30pm (4.30pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp28.
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Robertson advises his audience, for their own safety it seems, that the event they are attending is not World Of Happy. He tends to mention this before he reads poems about, say, someone eating a mouse in two mouthfuls, or a cat dying of cancer, or a man strapped to boards and set afloat in order to be dive-bombed to death by gannets. (These birds can reach a speed of 100 kilometres per hour and have devilishly sharp beaks. World of Happy, this is definitely not. Perhaps this is why Robertson chose gannets instead of, say, boobies.) Robertson’s sonorous voice adds menace to the most innocuous imagery, and even his “uncharacteristically cheerful” poem causes shivers instead of laughs.

Spiegeltent, 20 Aug, 10.15am (11.15am), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp27.
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Exuberant chaos from the author of eight million successful novels – or so it seems when McCall Smith careens from one series to another in an uncharted hour-long talk. Bracketed by fiddle tunes, he discussed ‘The Limpopo School of Detection’ (the next instalment in the ‘Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency’ series), the main rule for writing a radio play, the sensitivity of his readership, relief at finding that a character responds well to anti-depressants, how the speed of e-mail removes excuses for procrastinating on a BBC commission, the tragedies of dead languages, and a description of a New Yorker cartoon about dogs. An evening with McCall Smith is like a high-speed gab with your favourite madcap uncle.

RBS Main Theatre, 19 Aug, 8.00pm (9.00pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp26.
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Feminism or insanity? This one-woman adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s classic short story offers no easy answers. Lesley Free deftly draws the audience into her quest for selfhood as she portrays a woman who goes mad, or is driven mad by patriarchy in the form of her eminently practical husband, or is mad all along, or isn’t mad but rebels against the predetermined patterns of 19th century gender constructs. Free depicts the chaos of an adult mind trapped behind nursery bars with a wide-eyed innocence that blends well with the character’s enforced dependency. However, with an extremely short running time, the show cries out for an extended exploration of the wallpaper’s sinister impact.

theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall, 5 – 20 Aug (not 7), 1.10pm (1.40pm), £8.00, fpp313.
tw rating 3/5
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What is it like to live with obsessive-compulsive disorder? More interestingly, what does OCD mean when there are no obvious signs such as hand-washing? Joanne Limburg spoke engagingly and honestly about a condition in which she suffers from perfectionism and never-ending thoughts about disasters she might cause. Limburg’s battle began when she was at school and spent entire assemblies worrying that she might retrieve the wrong pair of shoes afterwards, and somehow injure or annoy her classmates and teachers. The most crippling aspects of OCD are that the entire world seems unsafe, and loved ones become responsible for one’s own safety. Thankfully, Limburg offered hope that OCD doesn’t have to restrict anyone to a life of terror and shame.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 17 Aug, 5.00pm (6.00pm), £8.00 – £10.00.
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A disappointingly listless discussion, given that Kelly Link practically invented her own brand of fantasy writing. The brief excerpt she read from her acclaimed short story “The Specialist’s Hat” hardly provided a taster of the dynamic prose which Niffenegger praised as containing “surprises like tiny fireworks”. The talk and the response to audience questions bordered on the banal (you can’t make a living at writing and will likely need to teach? Hardly a shocker). The most interesting revelation was Link’s quirky habit of reading crime novels by starting at the beginning, skipping to the end, and then enjoying the satisfying layers of the middle.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 16 Aug, 8.30 (9.25), £8.00 – £10.00, eibfpp17.
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Darth Vader’s helmet is a simplified version of samurai armour! So says biographer John Man, who traced the footsteps of Japanese national hero Saigo Takamori. During an entertainingly informative slide show and talk, Man described the honour codes, elitism, and stifled aggression that characterised samurai from 1600 onwards. He then explored the life of Takamori – nineteenth-century junior clerk, government minister, rebel leader, and dog-lover – who led a futile rebellion and was, quite literally, the last samurai (Man cautioned his audience about the inaccuracies of the Tom Cruise film version). For Man’s next project, he will move from the fit and loyal warriors to their opposite: secretive, master-of-the-dark ninjas.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 15 Aug, 5.00pm (6.00pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp13.
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It’s a brave man who can sit on-stage at the world’s largest book festival and admit he hasn’t read his own book. Given the harrowing ghost-written excerpts covering Hartson’s illness, though, it’s understandable that he can’t bear to relive a period when he had over 200,000 cancer markers throughout his body. Hartson is incredibly humble and quietly articulate: “The cancer was on me. I should have died. I believe I did die”. The enthusiastic audience sang out “Big bad John!” at his arrival and cheered at the mention of a particular goal against Liverpool. Even those whose specialist subject is decidedly not Welsh Football Strikers enjoyed this honest discussion.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 15 Aug, 8.30pm (9.30pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp14.
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Salley Vickers spent much of her life as a psychoanalyst (she was 52 when she published her first novel), and her parents were atheist communists. These elements of her background inform her choice of literary themes – particularly the ways in which people can be opaque to each other and are often deeply afraid of being loved, and the myriad of ways in which the living and the dead interact. Vickers embraces risks, suggesting that it’s easier to do so when you write a character of the opposite sex (though denied that she’s a ‘sub-fusc feminist’). The most difficult part of being a novelist, she admitted, is having to stop writing and say goodbye to your characters.

RBS Main Theatre, 14 Aug, 4.30pm (5.30pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp10.
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Scary sex and Nazi memorabilia: two novelists tackle strong themes. Zoe Strachan’s ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ examines a seventeen-year-old on his way to university. He’s terrified both of his own sexuality and of being labelled ‘Boak boy’ by his peers. Ned Beauman’s ‘Boxer, Beetle’ includes a host of unpleasant characters, including anti-Semites and a man proud of refraining from sex with his own sister. Much of the ensuing discussion explored whether literary characters need to be likeable and sympathetic, or if the authors are successfully doing their job by writing characters who are repulsive but ultimately engaging.

Spiegeltent, 14 Aug, 10.15am (11.15am), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp9.
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Doctorow held court to a rapt audience in an event which began with an open invitation to tweet or record the proceedings (though the man himself apparently brought the wrong charger for his own mobile phone). He began by admitting that science fiction writers are rubbish at prediction, but do inspire the future. His most fascinating topic was the rise of 3-D printing – he currently owns a key fob made from MRI scans of his own deformed hip – and how we can start creating our own bespoke tools. He offered suggestions (not predictions) about how people will soon be printing their own sex toys and AK-47s – this, without question, is an inspiration for our future.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 14 Aug, 8.30pm (9.30pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp11.
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How is Socrates like a doughnut? Bettany Hughes answers this and other questions about the controversial philosopher, who influenced western thought yet never wrote a word himself. Hughes places Socrates in his fifth-century context without sentimentality, noting that his allergy to the written word meant he would have understood how social media influenced recent uprisings. In good times, she notes, questions are welcomed; when society is in chaos, answers are demanded. Socrates was fundamentally a flesh-and-blood creature, rather than a mythical ideal of Great Thought, and Hughes excels in using the archaeological record to bring this abstraction to life.

ScottishPower Studio Theatre, 13 Aug, 3.30pm (4.30pm), £8.00 – £10.00, bfpp7.
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Chavs! Or so you might think, but these Halifax lasses refuse to be stereotyped. Chucker and Mucker shoplift sweets from Woolies and share them with – well, hurl them at – the audience, torment the snotty girl two doors down, and dance their faces off at nightclubs. Yet they’re self-aware enough to ponder their diverging lives from the perspective of Beacon Hill. A few more links would tighten the plot – the basis of Chucker’s nickname is hinted at, then dropped, and whatever happens to the snotty girl? Overall, between the surprisingly likeable main characters and the neighbours, relatives, and love interests they dramatise with gusto, this piece offers a moving account of Yorkshire emerging from the Thatcher period.

Underbelly, 4 – 28 Aug (not 17), 12.05pm (1.05pm), £7.50 – £10.00, fpp269.
tw rating 4/5
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Enchanting and eerie, this freshly-told fairy tale remains traditional enough to be comforting. A princess falls in love with a king in bear form (much in the vein of ‘The Princess And The Frog’), and faces down the Troll Queen to rescue him. The splendidly versatile four-person cast, augmented by portable puppets, excellently fuse drama, silhouette, and a smattering of song, but special mention must go to Laura Cairns, who withstands being upstaged by her own double in puppet form. Vocally and physically brilliant, the actors bring to life a bickering royal family, a trio of identical crones, and a quest that everyone in the audience can take to heart. Particularly recommended for girls who yearn to be princesses without a hint of pink.

Underbelly, 4 – 28 Aug, 1.35pm (2.35pm), £7.50 – £10.00, fpp266.
tw rating 5/5
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Far too many syllables to count, but little of substance is ever said as two male lecturers trade an arts student back and forth like a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Kudos goes to Orowa Sikder for a dynamic burst of energy, but he’s overshadowed by lead actress Julia Hartley who, while fetching, relies on dipping her head and smiling coyly. At times, it is hard to tell if the actors were staring earnestly at each other because they were emoting or trying to remember their lines. Meanwhile, the opening possibilities of pricking the balloons of pseudo-intellectualism dwindle to nothing; it’s a sad day, too, when the most entertaining moment of a performance is an improvised response to a technical flaw.

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, 4 – 19 Aug, 5.25pm (6.25pm), free.
tw rating 2/5
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The Edinburgh International Book Festival kicks off in Charlotte Square Gardens this weekend. With that in mind, we asked our 2011 book correspondents to tip a must-see event.

ELEANOR PENDER recommends Audrey Niffenegger, Monday 15 Aug at 8.00pm
I am most definitely looking forward to hearing from Audrey Niffenegger. This event offers the rare opportunity to see into the fantastical mind of the acclaimed author of ‘The Time Traveller’s Wife’. Her novels combine the real, the strange and the magical in such a grounded way. Beautifully written, her characters embody a plot that would be lost in anyone else’s hands.

TRACEY S ROSENBERG recommends AS Byatt, Sunday 28 Aug at 3.00pm
AS Byatt, the Booker-winning grande dame of interpreting the Victorians and Edwardians, takes an unexpected and autobiographical turn with her forthcoming work: a retelling of the Norse tale of Ragnarok, part of the acclaimed Canongate Myths series. Byatt will be in conversation with literary editor Stuart Kelly about the ways in which gods and mythology shaped her wartime childhood.

CAMILLE BURNS recommends Different Worlds With Patrick Ness & Moira Young, Sunday 21 Aug at 3.30pm
Despite the title, the similarities between their worlds make this a top event. Written without shying away from ‘adult’ subjects, themes of injustice, loss, love and loyalty, are skillfully manipulated in ‘Chaos Walking’ and ‘Blood Red Road’ until the line between good and evil is blurry at best. This event will be a fascinating discussion with two authors whose novels would affect even the most disdainful adult.

SAMUEL JOHNSTON recommends Candia McWilliam on Thursday 18 Aug at 8.30pm
One of England’s most gifted novelists, a Guardian award winner and Man Booker judge, Candia McWilliam has now published a memoir detailing her recovery from blindness. Having covered the topic with a sensitivity and optimism that is a refreshing change from the now ubiquitous misery memoir, this event is certain to be both delicately poignant and eye opening.

ELLIE BLOW recommends ‘Alasdair Gray: A Life In Words And Pictures’ on Saturday 13 Aug at 11.30am
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of ‘Lanark’, Alasdair Gray’s highly acclaimed first novel. To celebrate, he is closing the Book Festival with a performance of his play ‘Fleck’ – and opening it with this, a discussion of both his writing and his equally-famous art. A rare and exciting chance to catch one of Scotland’s best-loved novelists.