Former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon is set to unveil her much-anticipated memoir Frankly at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, marking a major highlight in the newly expanded line-up for the 2025 edition.
Sturgeon will take to the stage at McEwan Hall on 14 August, offering audiences a personal glimpse into her political and personal life. Her memoir charts her remarkable journey from a shy, working-class girl in Ayrshire to the longest-serving and first female First Minister of Scotland. The appearance is part of The Front List — a curated series of headline events running from 12 to 24 August in collaboration with Underbelly, held next to the main venue at the Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Festival organisers say the series aims to bring together leading voices in literature, politics, and global affairs, with over 600 events expected in the full programme. Tickets for The Front List go on public sale at 10am on Tuesday 6 May via the festival website.
Joining Sturgeon in this year’s impressive line-up are literary giants Maggie O’Farrell and Ian McEwan. O’Farrell will celebrate 25 years since her debut publication, reflecting on a career that has seen her become one of the UK’s most beloved novelists. McEwan, meanwhile, will offer a retrospective on his acclaimed body of work, while also sharing insights into his forthcoming projects.
Welsh actress and writer Ruth Jones, best known for co-creating Gavin and Stacey, will discuss her latest novel By Your Side, promising a lively and heartfelt evening of conversation.
International voices will also take centre stage. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, RF Kuang, and Asako Yuzuki – who won the 2024 Waterstones Book of the Year – will be among the global literary talent gracing the festival. Football legend Ally McCoist will offer a more playful reflection with Dear Scotland: On The Road With The Tartan Army, recounting stories from his travels with Scotland’s national team.
A political edge runs strongly through this year’s programme. Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is expected to deliver a powerful and poignant discussion of her late husband’s legacy and her continuing activism. Her appearance comes alongside renowned political thinkers including Ta-Nehisi Coates, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anne Applebaum, and Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times. Together, they’ll explore the turbulent shifts in international politics and consider the future of democracy in an age of growing authoritarianism.
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A festival spokesperson said: “We are thrilled to be launching Frankly, the highly anticipated memoir from Scotland’s first female – and longest-serving – First Minister, as Nicola Sturgeon shares the story of her journey to becoming one of our country’s most significant political leaders.”
They added: “We’re joined by acclaimed and international writers, speaking about their careers and works. The luminous Maggie O’Farrell celebrates 25 years of creativity since her debut publication, and Ian McEwan looks back over his remarkable body of work and forward to what comes next.”
Jenny Niven, Festival Director and Chief Executive, expressed her enthusiasm for the expanded offering: “We are thrilled to be returning to the beautiful McEwan Hall, and expanding our partnership with Underbelly to present 14 Front List events in 2025. At this challenging moment in history and politics, we’ll be offering a comprehensively informed and critical eye on international affairs, and also the chance to escape them through the work of some of the world’s foremost fiction writers, entertainment, and sporting figures.”
With a rich blend of political reflection, literary exploration, and cultural commentary, this year’s Book Festival promises to be a landmark celebration of ideas, identity, and storytelling.
Will you be attending any of the Front List events this year?
