Scotland Book Highlights – December 2014

On 11 November The Saltire Society honoured Scotland’s authors at what is now the country’s most significant literary awards, handed out at Edinburgh's Dynamic Earth. The always interesting First Book Award went to Niall Campbell for his debut poetry collection Moontide, inspired by the landscapes of Uist. Considering the competition – Kirsty Logan, Anneliese MacIntosh, Kirsty Wark – this was no mean feat for a writer obviously to be watched. The Literary Book Award considered short fiction (A.L. Kennedy’s All The Rage) and stage play (Rona Munro’s The James Plays) but was claimed by a work which broke all form and genre convention. Ali Smith’s How to be Both is two novels in a way, parallel narratives set centuries apart which interpenetrate each other at different points depending upon which of the two separate versions you lay your mitts on. A sign that Scottish publishing is in rude health – in literary output at least, I don’t dare to speak for their bank balances – is that while Sandstone Press were awarded the publishers' prize, ever present Birlinn and young contender Freight were both given commendations. All three have released wonderful books this year. Alexander Hutchison took the Poetry Award with Bones and Breath, picking it up with a beautiful and humble speech.

Perhaps future years will see a specific Saltire award for graphic novels. They, whether they like it or not, are pushing their way into the reputable mainstream, making themselves known at both Dundee and Edinburgh literary festivals. On this note, November saw the launch of the first issue of Elena: Divinity Rising. This is the story of Elena Anchova. A young girl abandoned by her mother and now buried in a world of betrayal, double-crossing and espionage; pushed to the limits by her mentor Kalikov, the former KGB ringmaster and nemesis of the CIA. Written by Darren Pearce and drawn by Stewart Jennet this is an explosive thriller with artwork to match and a healthy dose of family drama lurking in the subtext. Pearce told The Skinny, “We’ve spent a lot of time crafting the characters and especially Elena so that readers could empathise with the various situations in which they find themselves, for me the most important part of this series has been developing characters that people can feel a part of.”  Issue 1 is published by Markosia and available via Comixology.

Blogmanay sounds like a mixed blessing. New Year's Eve is an occasion often recalled through Memento-like reverse flashbacks. The brittle morning of 1 January a minefield of crackling anxiety as you remember just what you did, the levels of drunken offensiveness you reached. It seems that there are some unusual people out there keen to record this evening, to provide written testament as to what actually happened. Blogmanay is a project where a team of international travel bloggers will record their experiences of New Year in Edinburgh. Budding writers can get involved by tagging New Year related blogs with #Blogmanay.

And finally, as another reminder that literature does not necessarily need print and paper, let us bring your attention to a couple of free online sources of spoken words. The Scottish Poetry Library posts its monthly podcast on its website, currently featuring Hugo Williams, past winner of the TS Elliot prize for his collection Billy’s Rain. Originating from further afield is The Moth, the hip Brooklynites story source of choice. You can hear wonderful true stories of diverse and purposeful lives on their site.