The BBC reports that Edinburgh is to be named the world's first City of Literature by the United Nations' cultural body UNESCO. The preamble to the constitution [PDF] of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation states "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed."
The bid was spearheaded by James Boyle, the chairman of Scotland's cultural commission.There is also a growing contemporary literary scene which most famously includes J.K. Rowling, Ian Rankin and (Prof.) Alexander McCall Smith. It is thought that Edinburgh could officially receive its title in April 2005.
He said: "I'm overwhelmed. As soon as we heard we jumped up in the air and toasted Edinburgh."
The campaign team said the city could point to literary greats including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns, who all lived and wrote in Edinburgh.
Posted by Paul in Culture Edinburgh at October 14, 2004 12:57 AM | 4 Comments
