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City of Literature

Edinburgh has always had a long association with literature. This was recently recognised when UNESCO agreed to designate Scotland's capital as the first World City of Literature. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Many literary greats of the past have been associated with Edinburgh including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. There are also many contemporary associations. Famous authors who supported Edinburgh's bid for the title included J.K. Rowling, Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith.

This is not a one-off award that says that Edinburgh is "better" than the rest of the world. Rather it is the first in what will hopefully be a series of similar permanent designations.

The organisers of the Edinburgh bid hope that the title will help to promote literary life in Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland. It should also be good for tourism and could be worth over Ł2 million a year to the city plus a similar amount to the rest of Scotland.