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Indelible Ink: Neil Munro’s ‘The New Road’
What can be said about Neil Munro? In a Canadian obituary, it was written: “Neil Munro – the very name o’ him is grand to hear. A grand name, wi’ something baith braw and hamely in it. A name wi’ a sniff o’ peat reek, the bloom o’ heather, a skirl o’ the pipes, an’ […]
Pete Reid
November 5, 2014
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Indelible Ink: Candia McWilliam’s ‘Debatable Land’
One of the never ending discussions about books is whether the meaning comes from the reader or the writer. Of course, the answer is both, but where the balance lies is constantly shifting, and often circumstances and situation dictates this as much as the writing itself. Candia McWilliam’s ‘Debatable Land’ is full of rich metaphor […]
Alistair Braidwood
September 25, 2014
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Indelible Ink: Christopher Brookmyre’s ‘Quite Ugly One Morning’
We have said before in these columns that the early to mid-nineties in Scotland was one which was politically bleak, no matter what your persuasion was. The victory of the John Major led Conservatives in 1992’s UK election saw Labour victorious in Scotland, and with no power in the rest of the UK, the promised […]
Alistair Braidwood
August 18, 2014
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Indelible Ink: Matthew Fitt’s ‘But n Ben A-Go-Go’
In the last couple of years there was a lot of debate about which Scottish books and writers should be taught in Scottish schools as part of the set texts for the Higher English exam. If I had had a vote, Matthew Fitt’s ‘But n Ben A-Go-Go’ would’ve been in my top three choices for […]
Alistair Braidwood
July 10, 2014
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Indelible Ink: Frank Kuppner’s ‘A Very Quiet Street’
The history of Polygon Books is one of the most interesting in Scottish publishing. From its beginnings as an arm of Edinburgh University Press it quickly became known as a home for experimental and challenging writing, something it still does better than most to this day. Frank Kuppner’s 1989 novel, ‘A Very Quiet Street’ is […]
Alistair Braidwood
June 9, 2014
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Indelible Ink: Andrew Greig’s ‘Fair Helen’
The historical novel often gets a bad press, especially in Scotland where Sir Walter Scott has cast a long, and unfairly prejudicial, shadow. As if to prove my point, this month’s novel, ‘Fair Helen’ by Andrew Greig, is inspired by the Border ballad, ‘Fair Helen of Kirkconnel Lea’, which was published by Scott in Volume […]
Alistair Braidwood
May 6, 2014
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Indelible Ink: Michel Faber’s ‘Under The Skin’
One of most eagerly anticipated film of recent years, at least round these parts, was Jonathan Glazer’s ‘Under The Skin’, much of which was shot on the streets of Glasgow, with an (almost) unrecognisable Scarlett Johansson in the lead role. You can read my review of the film over at Scots Whay Hae!, but news […]
Alistair Braidwood
April 9, 2014
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Indelible Ink: Margaret Elphinstone’s ‘Hy Brasil’
Could a small nation, with a history of being part of a larger whole, become independent with its own version of the pound and its own parliament, no army, but under the protection of NATO due to its strategic position? Could it not only survive, but thrive? It’s an intriguing question, and anyone interested in […]
Alistair Braidwood
March 6, 2014
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Scotland Writers FC
It started, like all the best ideas, in the pub. I can’t remember which pub now, or how exactly the conversation went, but that’s always the way with pub chat, isn’t it? Either way, myself, fellow author Allan Wilson and publisher Mark Buckland were standing with pints in hand talking about books and football, a […]
Doug Johnstone
February 6, 2014
