In the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland, the International Book Festival returns with a theme as old as time yet as urgent as the morning news: "Repair." This year, the festival becomes a crucible for "mending what's broken-in society, the environment and ourselves," as Festival CEO Jenny Niven eloquently explains. With 641 writers from 35 countries, the event is a tapestry of voices weaving tales of reconciliation, environmental reverence, and personal healing. From the Japanese art of kintsugi that breathes beauty into brokenness to geopolitical dialogues that confront global dissonance, the festival asks us to confront discomfort and embrace conversation as a salve. The theme of Repair whispers the truth that fixing the fractures of our world begins in the imagination, asking each participant to return ready to stitch their own communities with newfound threads of empathy and understanding.
