Eleanor Catton – Birnam Wood
WithEleanor Catton
In conversation withJenny Niven
On:27th February 2023, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
We're delighted to be hosting an event with Eleanor Catton to celebrate the publication of her brand new novel, Birnam Wood. Her previous novel The Luminaries won the Booker Prize in 2013 and she's returning with a brilliant gripping psychological thriller about a guerrilla gardening group. Eleanor will be in conversation with chair of Literature Alliance Scotland, Jenny Niven.
This event will take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience, as well as a livestream for attendees watching from home. There will be a signing after the event.
In-person vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against a copy of Birnam Wood – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Please note that only one voucher can be redeemed per book. Livestream vouchers are valid until the day after the event and can be redeemed on the website against a copy of Birnam Wood.
Please note that Birnam Wood will be our Porty by Post fiction subscription box book for March and subscribers will automatically receive access to the livestream.
About Birnam Wood:
Birnam Wood is on the move... Five years ago, Mira Bunting founded a guerrilla gardening group: Birnam Wood. An undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic gathering of friends, this activist collective plants crops wherever no one will notice, on the sides of roads, in forgotten parks, and neglected backyards.
For years, the group has struggled to break even. Then Mira stumbles on an answer, a way to finally set the group up for the long term: a landslide has closed the Korowai Pass, cutting off the town of Thorndike. Natural disaster has created an opportunity, a sizable farm seemingly abandoned.
But Mira is not the only one interested in Thorndike. Robert Lemoine, the enigmatic American billionaire, has snatched it up to build his end-times bunker - or so he tells Mira when he catches her on the property. Intrigued by Mira, Birnam Wood, and their entrepreneurial spirit, he suggests they work this land.
But can they trust him? And, as their ideals and ideologies are tested, can they trust each other? A gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Luminaries, Birnam Wood is Shakespearean in its wit, drama and immersion in character. A brilliantly constructed consideration of intentions, actions, and consequences, it is an unflinching examination of the human impulse to ensure our own survival.
Please note: Tickets for our events are non-refundable. Professional photography and videography may take place during this event. Thank you for your understanding.
Participants:
Eleanor Catton Author
Eleanor Catton is the author of The Luminaries, winner of the Man Booker Prize and a global bestseller. Her debut novel, TheRehearsal, won the Betty Trask Prize, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Dylan Thomas Prize, and longlisted for the Orange Prize. As a screenwriter, she adapted TheLuminaries for television, and Jane Austen's Emma for feature film. Born in 1985 in Canada and raised in New Zealand, she now lives in Cambridge.
Jenny Niven Chair
Jenny Niven is a freelance producer and director, working across a range of literature and wider cultural projects. She is currently Executive Producer on Dandelion, a pioneering program of sowing, growing, sharing and the arts, running across Scotland in 2022. She has directed literature festivals and programmes in China, Australia and Scotland and was formerly head of literature, publishing and languages at Creative Scotland, Acting Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Executive Producer of the Edinburgh International Culture Summit. She is also chair of advocacy body for Scottish literature, Literature Alliance Scotland and in 2021 co-founded a new festival of poetry, spoken word and hip hop, Push the Boat Out.
The venue
The Portobello Bookshop
46 Portobello High Street
Edinburgh
EH15 1DA
Telephone: 0131 629 6756
Website: www.theportobellobookshop.com
Wheelchair Access
We have a ramp at the front of the shop which has a ratio of 1:10 and loading capacity of 300kg, and so should be able to be used by most wheelchair users or those with mobility vehicles. The front doors are fully automated. Our shop interior is designed to allow access throughout for wheelchair users and prams, though please note there is only 700mm wide clearance to access the staff toilet.
Sound
We use a PA system to enhance the audio at our live events. We also have a hearing loop system installed, if you’d like to use our loop system during an event please let us know and we’ll make sure we have it set up and connected to the live audio feed during the event. If you wish to attend an event and require BSL interpretation, please give us a few weeks notice and we’ll do our best to arrange an interpreter.