Books

Events

Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to jules.graham@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Jules Graham.

Glasgow

Tracey MacKenna and Edwin Janssen ('('.v\. .tSll Saiicliicliall Strcct. .553 «Willi. (t.5llplit. l'lL‘L'. xl I’r'l‘lr'r'l Illlrlg'r' o/ ()Ill'\('/t c\ documcntx ‘l'racc and lid\ collahoratn c WING“.

Edinburgh

Why Scottish Literature Matters? l\llltlltt ltaliano l)i ('tiltura. S3 .\'icol\on Strcct. (ioS' 3353. (rpm. l‘rcc. ('arla Saxxi prcxcntx ltcr Iatcxt hook c\aminmg Scottidt litcrattirc ol'l‘cring insights into nationhood. Jen Hadfield Scottish l’octr} liltrar}. 5 (‘richton‘x ('loxc. ('anongatc. 55" 3S,"(i. (t..5ll|3lll. L‘.‘ it'3i. .\ nt-u \oicc on tlic Sl’l. circuit. lladticld rcads from .l/lelllrlt'\. Authentic Spark National lihrar} of Scotland. (ictrt'gc lV Bridgc. 33h ~155l. ~[Ht]. l'll'L‘L‘. llL'l’xL‘lL‘tl. \Vl'llt‘l' tttld ln‘oadcaxtcr ('arl .\lacl)ougall c\plorc\ thc \\orl\ of. Harm .\luricl.

Gangland Crime North lidinhnrgh .-\rt\ (critrc. l5a l’cnintxcll (‘ourL .il5 3l5l. ".Rtlpm. [5 W550i. Hard-man l)a\itl

Br) cc is ioincd h_\ journalist l)a\id lcxlic \\lltt\c‘ hook. (ii/urinal. c\aminc\ allcgcd ‘icc-crcam' drug dcalcr. loin .\lc( ii‘au.

Friday 18

Glasgow

Arlene Russo ()ttakar'\. l‘iiit (i. Buchanan (iallcricx. Buchanan Strcct. 353 I5llll, .\'oon 3pm. l‘rcc. 'l‘hc l'K's t'orcmoxt \anipirc c\pcrt and cditor ot' lit/1’ .llr' mag signs copics of \illll/lll't’ Nation. Conversation Pieces: Prof Martin Kemp Roin ('onccrt Hall. 3 Satichichall Strcct. .153 Stitltl. lpm. £5 it-l in ad\ancci. .\'ot hc of Spandau Ballcl lamc. hut a \\ut'ld authorit} on l.conardo l)a \inci.

Saturday 19

Glasgow

James A Simpson Bortlcix Boukx. Us Buchanan Strcct. 333 fill). 3pm. 'lilic l/o/t llil author \Itht\ copics til lil\ cll'ct'\ L‘\L‘L‘ltl tic“ hook. .l I‘rrmn llii't u/ living Sir/ruin. Arlene Russo (ilaxgtm l~ilm 'l'hcatrc. 13 Row Sti'ccl. 553 leo. (tpltt. SL‘L‘ l'it‘l lX. ’l'otla} \ signing prcccdcs a slum ing of

Haunt.

Edinburgh

Neil Donaldson ()itakar\ Buololtop. l'nit lfi. ('amci‘on loll Shopping ('cntrc. (i lad} Road. (ion lS’titi. lpm. l't‘cc. local author launclics his latcxt \xoik l'lir' .lriumA '\ Hunk of Krrurt/r'r/ur'.

Edinburgh

Jim Telfer 'l'hc Scttllhlt Rugh} Storc. \lurraflicld Stadium. .i-lti 5(l-l-1. lpm. l'rcc. 'l'hc Scottish nigh} hcro signs copicx til lll\ lllL'lllUll'\ ./I’III lt’Hr‘I'.’ [JIM/UH: I),(l(l\ . l'rll' ()Itr'r.

Edinburgh

Poetry Book Group Scottixlt l’ot-irx l.ihrar_\. 5 (‘i‘ichtoii‘x (low. ('anongaic. 55~ 3S"(i, (Lil) S.5llttttt. [5 tfi‘i. l'p loi‘ tll\L'll\\litll this month arc lx'atlilccn .lamic'x anard \tinnmg collcction '/'/ii' Il‘r'r Hullu' and hcr ncu xct. li/ii/iiigx.

Tuesday 22

Glasgow

Scotch on the Rocks ( )nakai'\. l'iiit (i. Buchanan (iallcricx. Buchanan Sticct. ‘5‘ l5flfl. (i, Winn. l'rcc. .lournalixi ;\nlonia

S“ lll\tlll talks about hci latc lathcr'x hook which tcllx thc truc \tor} hchmd ll/i/xAi (rrl/ulr’.

32THELIST"'.

Edinburgh

Rahul Mahajan Ro\_\ .-\rt llonxc. 3 Rmhtirgh l’lacc. 087] 75() 0077. 7pm. l’rcc. 'l'hc 'l‘c\an author and anti-\xar acti\ ixt talla about hix lalcxt hook. l’u/l S/u'r'rrrmi Holili/lrlitr'r'.‘ I IS I’mi'r'r in Iraq (lltr/ lir'wlrrl.

Thursday 24

Edinburgh

>l< Sir David Attenborough ()ttakar’s. 57 (icorgc Strcct. 335 4.195. 5.3(l

(\._5lllllll. l-‘rcc. Signing \tith thc uildlitc guru \\ ho gtlttlt‘S tl\ through a Irrr in I/Ir‘ [.Ih/t’l'g’l'rltt I/l.

Eric Graham National l.ihrar} til Scotland. (icorgc l\’ Bridgc. 33h J5.~l. 7pm. l’rcc. tickctcd. 'l’hc author of Scrum/in: l’rr'utr'\ A" I/lr’ Scott l'olltms tltc trail of thc rcal Black l-‘lag piratcs from

.v\} rxhirc to thc \cht lndicx.

Stop Violence Against Women Poetry Evening Scottish l’ocll') library 5 (‘richtoii‘x ('losc. (‘anongatcn 557 3870. “.Rtlpm. l’rcc. .loin .lanct l’aidc). .\lagi (iihson. lilxpcth .\lurra_\ and Baxhahi l‘rawr as thc} launch a hooldct produccd it} .'\mnc\t'\ ttlid HIV/{1'2 lxxtlr'.

Edinburgh

The Guid Crack Club: A Night for St Andrew lltc \Vaxcrlcy St Mar} \ Strcct. 55b 057‘). “fillpm. L5 donation. locals and \ ixitorx arc all uclcomc to go along to hear and draw \toricx cclchrating our Patron Saint.

Saturday 26

Edinburgh

Jim Telfer 'l‘hc Scottish Rugh} Storc. \ltirra} ticld Stadium. .ilti 5044. l lam 3pm. l’rcc. Scc Stiii 3().

Edinburgh

Shore Poets lltc (‘anonx‘ (iait. 353 (‘anongatcz55(i-1-lSl. 7.45pm. [3 (U l. ‘l‘hc latcxt Shorc l’nctx instalman \\ ith rcadingx from Kathlccn .lamic. .lim (‘arruth and .v\ndrc\\ l’hilip.

Tuesday 29

Glasgow

Richard McCann Bortlc-rs Hookx. ()8 Buchanan Strcct. 333 "lift. (ipm. l'rcc. lltc author olacclailucd mcmoir.lu\1 u Hm lcttdx a pancl (ll\L‘ll\\l0ll ttx pal’t til [liL‘ l'.\'\ lo /)(l\\ furl/1cIz/Illllllrlllrtltr'l

lip/t II( c \gdirixl llitlllt‘ll catttpaigtt. on him clnldrcn arc alt'cctcd h} thc prohlcm.

Edinburgh

Through the Letterbox Scottish l’octi'} library 5 ('richton'x ('loxc. ('anongatc. 55" 3S7». l lam (rpm. l‘rcc. Scc Mon 38. * Bashabi Fraser Bangalorc 'landoori RLNlttttl'ultl. 5.5 llittltL‘ Sll‘t‘c‘l. (“33 ‘ll l3. "pm. l'rcc. 'l'lic poct and author funds from licr ncu hook .\ .l/r'r'I/Irg (I! luv .llrlrr/v (ir'r/i/r \ Iiigon' [rt/m “Inch mplorcx a taxcmating \idc to thc agc-old rclationxhip hctuccn India and Scotland.

Wednesday 30

Glasgow

Glasgow University Writers Bortlcix Books. 93 Buchanan Strcct. 333 770i). (rpm. l‘rcc. lhc (ilasgim l'ni group launch Snark \ .l/lr’l' Sit running.

Edinburgh

Through the Letterbox Scottish l’octr} lihrar}. 5 (‘richton'x (‘loxcx ('anongatc. 557 3370. llam (ilim. l‘rcc. Scc .\lon 3S. John Glenday Scottnli l’octr} l.ihi'ar_\. 5 (‘richton‘x ('losc. ('anongatc. 557 3570. Tiflpm. [i it}? i. ’l‘hc Scottish author of l'lir' .l/t/tlr' (i/rm! and l Iii/ark rcads.

Thursday 1

Edinburgh

Through the Letterbox Scottnli l’octr} lihrar}. 5 ("richton'x (‘onca ('anongatc. 557 357i. l lam (iiim. l‘i'cc. Scc .\lon 3S.

Comics

sci H ACllON GARTH ENNIS & CARLOS EZQUERRA

Bloody Mary lDC Vertigoi 00

Some hold Garth Ennis tip as some kind of genius. Hrs run on Preacher at i( l Hellh/a/er secured his place as something of a bad boy. so packed with sun/caring. sexual perversity and lashings of ultra-Violence were these bestselling books. The truth is his work is perpetually immature. In this compilation of two mini-series from 1996 and 97 he really shows how basic his storytelling can be.

Griz/led ex-kill team leader. Bloody Mary. is hired to capture the tiltin‘ate weapon in an eternat world war. follow-red by an ail-out

; ssatilt on a heavily arriied reiigious sex cult. lt rips along at a fair pace out. except for a few cheap thrills. it's empty and soulless. with a cliched character running ll‘."()tlgll £1(Ill(2l‘(3(l story. Henry No'tlimorei

SPV ll-lltll Liz-H SATIRF MARK GATISS & IAN BASS

The Vesuvius Club Burton 8. Schtisteri

O

l. zicifer Box. the greatest portrait painter of the [Edwardian Age and l:.ngland's most dashi'igly hedonistic secret agent. is about to be dragged into his most horrifying case yet. When iiieiiibers of a team of t)l'(:.'ti=lt()lii vi.ilcanologists start dying off. Box is called in to get to the bottom of things. but he hasn't guite reckoned on supernatural forces.

further proof that comedians; no the sacred comic book form shouldn't mix. Like cJohn (Ileese's Super/nan: True Rn! project. The

Vesuwus C/ub IS abOut as embarrassmeg inisiudged as they come. Pitched somewhere between Vi'x's ‘Black Bag' strip and the Sexton Blake mysteries. The League of Gentle/hens Gatiss seems to be working on the assumption that grotesguery and cliche Wlll hold this limp comedy thriller together. Worse still. Ian Bass' illustration is pitifully executed and devoid of charm. A penny dreadful. iPaul Dale)

COMING-OF-AGE DRAMA R KIKOU JOHNSON

Night Fisher tFantagraphicsi 0000

CO'lillig of age stories about the tranSition from adolescence to adulthoor’l have already been tackled by numerOus copienipOrary cartoonists in a variety of ways Daniel Clowes' autobiograpliically (son of) Wllli Ghost l’Vor/d. Dave Lapham Via the hardboiled crime genre in Stray Bullets but native HE.i\"-/Llll£tli cartoonist R Kikou Johnson brings his own particular geographical perspective to this by now familiar type of tale.

Johnson's first graphic novel illustrates the isolation experienced by teenagers on that tiniguely remote American island-state through the story of a nerd named Loren Foster. who moves to the supposed paradise with his father and finds

it anything but. Loren's st0ry. rendered in bold black and white panels. is used by Johnson to show (without hammering home the point) how Hawaii is beset by various sooal problems. including epidemic abuse among the population of batu (local slang for Crystal meth). an influx of rich Caucasian expats and the economic migration of tens of thousands of islanders to mainland America. A remarkably assured debut.

(Miles Fielder)

AUTOBIOGRAPHY HARVEY PEKAR The Quitter

(Vertigol 0000

HARVEY PEKAR

(title

DEAN ii'iitsmt mm

Ordinary life is complex stuff. No one knows that better than Harvey Pekar pessmiist. jazz head and the graphic novels answer to Charles Bukowski. Thanks to the film version of his American Splendor series and the subsequent glossy reiSSLies. we now know Just about everything there is to know ab0ut the adult life of this ageing bookworm misanthropist. What we don't know that much about is Pekar's early life and with The Ourtter he corrects this unbalance.

Beautifully drawn by freguent collaborator Dean HaSpiel. it details life in the JeWish and black districts of Cleveland Just after WWII. where. according to Pekar. casual bullying and Violence were no respecters of class. creed or colour. Pekar became a brilliant streetfighter but a frustrated overlooked sports star. Painting an all too familiar portrait of childhood (OJC‘CIIOH, he builds up a lovnig portrait of an all-American gtiitter. The result is Without doubt one of the best pieces the man has ever written. Essential Pekar. tPaul Dale)