It has been 25 years since Chris Brookmyre’s first book was published. Since then, he has established himself as one of the most popular crime writers in Scotland. His enthusiasm for hurling himself into extra-curricular activities, such as the Scotland vs England Writers football, the Caledonian Challenge, Channel 5 Egg Heads, the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers and BBC Question Time, means he has more to talk about than most. At Bloody Scotland last year, he earned bragging rights when Stephen King opened his event by holding up a copy of Brookmyre’s book, Want You Gone declaring it ‘fantastic’. A TV adaptation of The Cut is in development, and Chris and his wife Marisa are currently writing the scripts.
Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for a collaboration between Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. The couple are married and live in Scotland. Chris Brookmyre is the international bestselling and multi-award-winning author of over twenty novels. Dr Marisa Haetzman is a consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, whose research for her Master’s degree in the History of Medicine uncovered the material upon which this series, which begun with The Way of All Flesh, is based. The Way of all Flesh was longlisted for both the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. @ambroseperry
Ambrose Parry’s Festival appearance is generously supported by Scottish Books International.
Maaza Mengiste was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A Fulbright Scholar and professor in the MFA in Creative Writing & Literary Translation programme at Queens College, she is the author of The Shadow King, a finalist for The Booker Prize. Her previous work, Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, was named one of Ten Best Contemporary African Books by The Guardian. Her work can be found in the New Yorker, Granta, and the New York Times among other publications. She lives in New York City.
Priya Basil was born in London to a family with Indian roots and grew up in Nairobi. She is an author and essay-writer whose work has been nominated for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. She is the co-founder of Authors for Peace, a political platform for writers and artists. She lives in Berlin.