Is not Edinburgh the capital of an intelligent and cultivated people, the heart of a national literature?

– W. Forbes Gray, A Literary Centre of a Literary Capital (1946)

Edinburgh is a designated UNESCO City of Literature due to the rich literary past and present of this vibrant city.

Every year the city plays host to the famous Edinburgh International Book Festival, as well as smaller events like the Portobello Book Festival.

Auld Reekie, as it used to be known by the locals, has provided inspiration for hundreds of authors, from J. K. Rowling to Arthur Conan Doyle, and been the birthplace of characters like Miss Jean Brodie and Inspector Rebus.