Scotland and the Scottish Diaspora
"It's part of me, Scotland. I'm still immersed in it even though I am not there." -- Irvine Welsh (1958 - ), Scots novelist, short story writer, playwright, author of Trainspotting among many other works).
All my life I have been interested in the history of Scotland and the profound consequences of the Scottish diaspora throughout the world. Scotland and the Scots are appealing in so many ways -- the beauty of the land- and seascapes, the food and drink, the extraordinarily resourceful and creative people, the dramatic history from antiquity to the present, the great literature and history and philosophy and religion. The subjects are themselves enough to inspire writing, but there is great satisfaction in the fact that the Scots have lived up to the subjects on their own writ.
Over many years I have researched the history of Cumberland Valley, and I have often talked about the Scots, the Scots-Irish, and the settlement of this part of the New World by these willing and not-so-willing exiles. In recognition of the history and significance of the Scots to our area, I fly the Saltire and carry these books and cds. I am always on the lookout for more.
P.S. Due to listing limitations, I have moved Ian Rankin and Denise Mina, two fine writers of the Scots Noir movement, over to our International Mystery page.
Lanark
Lanark
‘Probably the greatest novel of the century’ Observer
‘Remarkable … A work of loving and vivid imagination, yielding copious riches’ WILLIAM BOYD
Lanark, a modern vision of hell, is set in the disintegrating cities of Unthank and Glasgow, and tells the interwoven stories of Lanark and Duncan Thaw. A work of extraordinary imagination and wide range, its playful narrative techniques convey a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind’s inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying.
First published in 1981, Lanark immediately established Gray as one of Britain’s leading writers.
“I was absolutely knocked out by Lanark. I think it’s the best in Scottish literature this century”
IAIN BANKS
“Probably the greatest novel of the century … it marked the beginning of a new era”
JAMES CAMPBELL
Observer
“It was time Scotland produced a shattering work of fiction in the modern idiom. This is it … [Gray is] the best Scottish novelist since Sir Walter Scott”
ANTHONY BURGESS
“When dawn comes up and retires in dismay, we find ourselves in the presence of an overpowering surreal imagination. A saga of a city where reality is about as reliable as a Salvador Dali watch”
BRIAN ALDISS
“A quite extraordinary achievement, the most remarkable thing in Scottish fiction for a very long time. It has changed the landscape”
ALLAN MASSIE
The Scotsman