Another Scotland

Another Scotland

When a nation’s stories crystallise into myth, it’s not always easy to retell them in new ways. Yet, that’s exactly what a generation of Scottish writers are doing: examining, unpacking, and redrafting foundational Scottish tales through a modern lens. In this year’s Festival, leading authors revisit familiar histories and tease out new ways to understand them.

 

Lisa Croft, Willy Maley, Jennie Renton & Tam Watters: ¡No Pasaran!

Tuesday 15 August 11:45 - 12:45

Lisa Croft, Willy Maley, Jennie Renton & Tam Watters: ¡No Pasaran! Book
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Our Fathers Fought Franco is the remarkable collective biography of four men - three from Scotland, and one from England - who enlisted in the XV International Brigade and fought in the Spanish Civil War. In 1937, they were in the battle of Jarama,...
 

David Greig & Alan Warner: Scottish Legends Retold

Wednesday 16 August 13:30 - 14:30

David Greig & Alan Warner: Scottish Legends Retold Book
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Brace yourself for exhilarating versions of two classic Scottish stories. Columba’s Bones is the debut novel from playwright David Greig, which reimagines 9th century Iona as the setting for a ‘heist gone wrong’. Alan Warner’s Nothing Left to...
 

Richard T Kelly: Scotland’s Black Gold Rush

Thursday 17 August 10:15 - 11:15

Richard T Kelly: Scotland’s Black Gold Rush Book
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North Sea oil exploration has been a subject of impassioned debate in Scottish life, and literature. Writer Richard T Kelly makes it the subject of his evocative novel The Black Eden. Charting the promise of ‘black gold’, he spins a fascinating...
 

Marcas Mac an Tuairneir & Sam Ó Fearraigh: Languages of Poetry

Thursday 17 August 18:30 - 19:30

Marcas Mac an Tuairneir & Sam Ó Fearraigh: Languages of Poetry Book
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Gaelic and English language poet Marcas Mac an Tuairneir returns to the Festival with his poetry collection, Polaris – the word for 'languages' in the gay cryptolect Polari – alongside award-winning poet and dramaturg Sam Ó Fearraigh who writes in...
 

Sally Magnusson: What the Clearances Couldn’t Remove

Sunday 20 August 13:30 - 14:30

Sally Magnusson: What the Clearances Couldn’t Remove Book
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Although she’s best known as a BBC newsreader and her father was a famous Icelander, Sally Magnusson is descended on her mother’s side from victims of the Highland Clearances. That terrible period of Scottish history is at the heart of Magnusson’s...
 

Leonie Bell & Jonathan Faiers: Tartan – Textile of Royalty and Ruffians

Tuesday 22 August 12:30 - 13:30

Leonie Bell & Jonathan Faiers: Tartan – Textile of Royalty and Ruffians Book
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National icon; fashion statement; tool of colonialist power: tartan's origins are steeped in symbolism, and fraught with contradictions. As Scotland enjoys a major exhibition about tartan at V&A Dundee, the museum’s director Leonie Bell is joined by...
 

Alistair Moffat: In the Footsteps of the Highland Clans

Monday 28 August 15:15 - 16:15

Alistair Moffat: In the Footsteps of the Highland Clans Book
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Scotland’s beloved ‘walking historian’ strides out into the Highlands in War Paths. In 13 fascinating journeys, Alistair Moffat explores the tumultuous military history of Scotland’s clans. Join us as Moffat walks in the footsteps of men who...