The International Writers' Conference Revisited

Edinburgh, August 1962. An international array of writers descends on Scotlands capital city for five days of ground breaking literary debate. Arriving from all corners of the globe, delegates include Norman Mailer, Henry Miller, Hugh MacDiarmid, Muriel Spark, Alexander Trocchi, Lawrence Durrell, Stephen Spender, Erich Fried, and Khushwant Singh. Heady and confrontational, the Roman amphitheatre environment of the citys McEwan Hall sees fierce discussion of censorship, the future of the novel, Scottish writing, and more. Enthralling the 2000-strong daily audience, and filling the front pages of Britains national newspapers, the Conference ignites the creative imagination of Scotland and beyond, making literary history. Fifty years later, The Writers Conference Revisited: Edinburgh, 1962 presents a unique fusion of literary and historical materials to commemorate the cultural legacy of the Conference and all its controversy.