One of Scotland's leading literary festivals is putting theatre at the heart of its programme this year.

The Edinburgh International Book Festival will work with theatre company Grid Iron on a series of four plays at this year's festival, in an event called Letters Home.

Four writers - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie from Nigeria, Kei Miller, a Glasgow-based Trinidadian poet, Kamila Shamsie, the Pakistani-British author, and Christos Tsiolkas, author of the bestselling novel The Slap - will pen the pieces, which will be directed by Ben Harrison, Joe Douglas, Michael John McCarthy and Alice Nelson, with a co-ordinating director, Zinnie Harris.

Performances of Letters Home, which is funded by the Scottish Government's Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, will take place at the Book Festival from August 9 to 25.

Its audience will move between scenes of the promenade plays in buildings around Charlotte Square.

Nick Barley, the director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: "As the world's leading literary festival, Edinburgh always strives to present events in innovative and imaginative forms.

"This is an ambitious project and we are thrilled to be working with four visionary writers and their exciting interpretations of our brief and with Grid Iron who have created an extraordinary piece of theatre which will premiere at the Book Festival in August.

"The result is surprising, compelling, and at times very moving."

Judith Doherty, the co-artistic director of Grid Iron, said: "Grid Iron are first and foremost a new writing company, it is at the heart of everything we do, so to be working alongside Edinburgh International Book Festival and the four extraordinary writers they have commissioned for us is truly a privilege.

"To be able to bring such rich and varied voices from around the globe together with such an exciting group of Scotland-based artists is an incredible opportunity."