Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, the home city of J.K.Rowling, has been announced today by the United Nations' cultural body Unesco, as the world's first City of Literature. The
BBC have a report on the event and J.K.Rowling is mentioned as one of the famous authors to have written in the city and backed the campaign.
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Ms Ferguson, who led a delegation to Paris, said: "I'm absolutely delighted at the news that Edinburgh has been recognised as the first Unesco city of literature.
"This is not only good news for Edinburgh but for Scotland as a whole. It confirms Scotland's position as a country of literary excellence."
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James Boyle, the chairman of Scotland's cultural commission said: "I'm overwhelmed. As soon as we heard we jumped up in the air and toasted Edinburgh."
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Edinburgh City Council Leader, Donald Anderson, said: "We were always quietly confident that we would win but we are absolutely delighted to have it confirmed.
"This is great news for Edinburgh and for the written word in Scotland."
Harry Potter author JK Rowling and crime writer Ian Rankin gave their support to a campaign which had widespread backing from the literary and publishing community and the Scottish Arts Council.
The world city of literature, is a title that could draw such ceremonies as the Whitbread and the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Source:
The BBC via
The Leaky Cauldron.
Edinburgh is the world's first City of Literature 
