A best-selling crime author will visit Aberdeen this week to take part in a high-profile literary conference celebrating the works of Charles Dickens.
Ian Rankin, who has gained global acclaim for his Rebus novels, will travel to the Granite City for the 110th international Dickens Fellowship Conference.
The prestigious event, which is being held for the first time in Aberdeen, starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday.
Hundreds of Dickens aficionados from across the world are expected to attend a range of events, commemorating the renowned Victorian author throughout the city.
Aberdeen University-based Paul Shlicke, one of the organisers of the festival, said the highlight would be Mr Rankin’s talk on Saturday alongside radio presenter Jim Naughtie.
The pair will discuss the influence of Charles Dickens’ work on Mr Rankin’s writing and the effect the author had on the world of literature.
Mr Rankin added: “It’s going to be done in an interview format, with Jim asking me about Dickens, and, in particular, about his novel Bleak House.
“We studied Dickens way back when I was studying English Literature at university in the 1970s, but Bleak House was the story that really stuck out to me.
“He wrote about so many weird and colourful characters, and what made Dickens stand out was how he wrote about people from all extremes of society, from the toffs all the way down to the down-and-out poor folk.
“It’s going to be great coming to spend some time again in Aberdeen.”
For more information and to see the full schedule of events visit www.dickensaberdeen2016.co.uk