Olivia Laing - The Silver Book
WithOlivia Laing
In conversation withFiona Bradley
On:9th June 2026, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Attendance options:
It's our great pleasure to be welcoming Olivia Laing to the bookshop for an event to celebrate the paperback publication of their latest novel, The Silver Book. Laing will be in conversation with Fiona Bradley, the Director of Edinburgh's Fruitmarket Gallery.
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 single copy of The Silver Book – 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 our website against a single copy of The Silver Book.
About The Silver Book:
It is September 1974. Two men meet by chance in Venice. One is a young English artist, in panicked flight from London. The other is Danilo Donati, the magician of Italian cinema, the designer responsible for realising the spectacular visions of Fellini and Pasolini. Donati is in Venice to produce sketches for Fellini’s Casanova. A young – and beautiful – apprentice is just what he needs.
He sweeps Nicholas to Rome, into the looking-glass world of Cinecittà, the studio where Casanova’s Venice will be ingeniously assembled. Then in the spring, the lovers move together to the set of Salò, Pasolini’s horrifying fable of fascism.
But Nicholas has a secret and in this world of constant illusion, his real nature passes unseen. Amidst the rising tensions of Italy’s ‘Years of Lead’, he acts as an accelerant, setting in motion a tragedy he didn’t intend...
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:
Olivia Laing Author
Olivia Laing is an internationally acclaimed writer and critic. They’re the author of eight books, including The Lonely City, Everybody and the Sunday Times number one bestseller The Garden Against Time. Laing’s first novel, Crudo, won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and in 2018 they were awarded the Windham-Campbell Prize for non-fiction. They are a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, an Honorary Royal Academy of Arts and their books have been translated into twenty-one languages.
Fiona Bradley Chair
Fiona Bradley is Director of Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery. Motivated by a commitment to the transformative power of art, and to what bringing artists and audiences together can do, she has curated numerous exhibitions with international, British and Scottish artists in Edinburgh and elsewhere. She has also worked in the public realm, bringing art to audiences where they are with Martin Creed's Work 1059, a work of permanent public sculpture on Edinburgh's historic Scotsman Steps, and Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller’s Night Walk for Edinburgh, an interactive, site specific video work for smartphone.
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.