Edinburgh Named World's First City of Literature

The Scots have had Edinburgh named as the world's first City of Literature by the United Nations' cultural body Unesco. It's a decision that will surprise other cities which claim to know all about literature, Dublin included.

Scottish Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson said the decision confirmed the city's literary credentials. Leading Scottish writers, including JK Rowling, (left) Dame Muriel Spark and Ian Rankin, not surprisingly, backed the campaign.

The campaign team said the city's writers included the dead literary greats Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns, who all lived and wrote in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh hosts some of the world's leading arts festivals, including the world famous book festival.

© askaboutwriting.net october 2004