SelfMadeHero at the Edinburgh Book Festival

It’s that time of year again: the Edinburgh International Book Festival is nearly upon us. It begins this Friday, 15th August, and as ever there’s plenty to whet the appetites of graphic novel fans.

This year’s Stripped 2015 programme features Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal (Behind the Curtain), Rob Davis (The Motherless Oven), Jean-Pierre Filiu (Best of Enemies) and Martin Rowson (The Coalition Book). Here’s what they’re up to:

Friday 28th August, 14:00: Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal

When Poland Made its Mark (Baillie Gifford Corner Theatre): The 1970s was a dramatic period for Poland. While many East European citizens traveled west, two young art students went the other way. Behind the Curtain is the story of Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal’s formative years, spent studying and working within an artistic community that flourished despite the realities of the Communist State.

Separately, Klimowski and Schejbal will lead a Reading Workshop focussed on The Master and Margarita (Fri 28th, 11:00), which they adapted into graphic novel form for SelfMadeHero, as well as taking part in Amnesty International’s Imprisoned Writers event on the theme of Crime and Unusual Punishment (Fri 28th, 17:30).

Friday 28th August, 19:00: Rob Davis and Karrie Fransman

Unique Voices Telling Strange Stories (Baillie Gifford Corner Theatre): Rob Davis discusses his Eisner-nominated graphic novel The Motherless Oven – an unsettling and fiercely original coming-of-age story. In a world where there are no birthdays – only deathdays – and household appliances have souls, three teenagers strike out into the unknown.

Rob Davis is joined by Karrie Fransman. Her latest book, Death of the Artist, is published by Jonathan Cape. It’s an innovative and surprising book – you should buy it immediately.

Sunday 30th August, 17:45pm: Martin Rowson and Jean-Pierre Filiu

Taking a Strip Off Governments (Garden Theatre): Illustrated by David B., Jean-Pierre Filiu’s Best of Enemies is a graphic history of US and Middle East relations – a series of graphic novels which documents with clarity and conviction the tense relationship between the two regions since 1783.

Filiu is joined by the Guardian cartoonist Martin Rowson, whose The Coalition Book is a cartoon catalogue of Britain’s worst government in 200 years. Learn how the era of Cameron and Clegg inspired some of his most successful and scathing satire.

To find out what else is happening at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, visit their website.