Edinburgh has been the birthplace, home and hangout for some of the world’s biggest and best-loved writers including Muriel Spark, Nadine Aisha Jassat, Anthony Vahni Capildeo, Alexander McCall Smith, Sir Ian Rankin, Kirstin Innes, Michael Pedersen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, T. L. Huchu, Jenny Colgan and many, many more.
There is even a Writers’ Museum on the Royal Mile, with dedicated collections on life and work of Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns.
Edinburgh’s cityscape is also a character of its own in many stories. It’s the inspiration behind much of acclaimed writer Jenni Fagan’s work, as well as Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting, and the Vennel Steps & Arthur’s Seat both play key roles in David Nicholl’s One Day.
Edinburgh is, of course, the “home of Harry Potter”, with countless visitors coming each year to seek out a little bit of that magic in the city where the series was written.
An ever-changing landscape in the literary world, you can find out more about authors in Edinburgh by delving into the Live Literature Directory.
— Sir Ian Rankin
