Books
Events
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to suzanne.black@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Suzanne Black.
Glasgow
Duncan Bannatyne Radisson SAS Hotel. 301 Argyle Street. 204 3333. 7pm. £20. The self-made millionaire frotn Dragon '5 Dan talks about his success. Ticket price includes buffet. a glass of wine and a dram.
Edinburgh
>§< One Book - One Edinburgh Various venues. 718 5663. Until 1 Mar. Times vary. Prices vary. Thousands of free copies of three new editions of Robert Louis Stevenson‘s Kidnap/ml are to be given away during a packed month of tie-in events. Organised by Edinburgh. LINFSCG City of Literature. See Answer Machine. page 1 l2. StAnza Poetry Festival Launch Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton's Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 6.30pm. Free (ticketed). To introduce the 10th StAn/a Poetry Festival. Bernard MacLaverty and StAn/a directors Brian Johnstone and lileanor Livingstone wax poetical. Booking required.
Tartan Noir? MacDonald Library. MacDonald Road. 529 5636. 7pm. Free. Scottish crime writers Ian Rankin. Allan Guthrie and Louise Welsh join Dr liric Massie to discuss the gothic. the criminal and Stevenson. Call 623 38-15 to book.
Beatnix Poetry Nite The Jazz. Bar. 1 Chambers Street. 220 4290. 7.30-~l()pnt. £4 (£3; poets: free). A tnix of open mic. performance poetry and singer/songwriters. hosted by Attila Govan. This month features poets Tim Turnbull and Mark Thomson. Call ()7962 912590 for details.
Edinburgh
Kidnapped Gets Graphic Scottish Book Trust. Sattdeman House. Trunks Close. 55 High Street. 52-10160. 7pm. Free. Cain Kennedy and Alan Grant discuss their new graphic novel of Stevenson's classic adventure.
>l< Alan Spence North Edinburgh Arts Centre. 15a Pennywell Court. 315 2151. 7.30pm. £5 (£2.50r-~£3.50). An evening with the award-winning poet. playwright. novelist and short story writer whose latest work The Pure [11ml explores the remarkable life of Aberdeettshire millionaire industrialist Thomas Blake Glover.
Glasgow
Language, Politics and Song Glasgow Caledonian University Library. William Harley Building. 70 Cowcaddens Rd. 330 5309. 9.30am—3.-15pm. £30 inc lunch. A seminar on the interaction between Scots. Gaelic. music and political song.
Glasgow
Creative Writing Class Borders Books. 98 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. 6—v8pm. £5. Alistair Patterson hosts a writing workshop every Monday: ‘Discover attd Develop the Writer Within‘. For further info please call 07969 823712.
Edinburgh
Blackwell’s Young Adult Book Group Blackwells. 53—59 South Bridge. 622 8222. 5.30pm. Free. A debate on Stevenson's Kidnap/ml.
32 THE LIST 1—15 Feb 2007
Wednesday 7
Edinburgh
The Appin Murder National Library of Scotland. 33 Salisbury Place. 623 38-15. 7pm. Free (ticketed). Author Ian Nimmo talks about the Appin Murder and how Stevenson turned it into the Red Fox episode of K trump/ml.
Gerrie Fellows and Andy Philip Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton's Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 7.30pm. £3 (£2). A Poetry Association of Scotland reading.
Edinburgh
Kidnapped at the Central Library Central Library. George [V Bridge. 225 558-1. 10am—5pm. Free. The Library is taken hostage. with live readings and fiddle music.
Glasgow
>l< We Love Books \V'aterstone's. 153—-l57 Sauchiehall Street. 332 9105. 5.30--9pm. £2 entry. Denise Mina and Laura Marney talk about Scottish literature. how to get published. creative writing and more. Wine and chocolate sampling. music. book groups and a prize draw take place throughout the store. All proceeds to Dyslexia UK.
Creative Writing Class Borders Books. 98 Buchanan Street. 222 7700. 68an. £5. See Mon 5.
Edinburgh
Poetry Book Group Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Cricltton's Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 6.30»—8.30pm. £5 (£3). Up for discussion this month is Rupture by Carol Ann Duffy. Please book in advance.
Edinburgh
The Night Begins with a Question Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton‘s Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 7.30pm. £5 (£3). Join translator lain Galbraith and Austrian guests livelyn Schlag and Peter Waterhouse for the launch of an anthology of Austrian poems.
The School of Poets Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton's Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 7.30pm. Annual subscription: £10 (£5). Monthly workshop-type poetry session aiming to encourage and develop writing skills.
Wednesday 14
Edinburgh
Valentine’s Book Party Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton's Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 6~8pm. £5 (£3 inc wine). Performance poet lilspeth Murray and Richard .Vledrington lead the way for those who have a love affair with words. Bring your borrowers card.
Kidnap, Coercion and Ransom National Library of Scotland. 33 Salisbury Place. 623 38-15. 7pm. Free (ticketed). Author liric Graham recounts the fatnous tale of abduction and revenge that was probably the inspiration for Klt/ll(l[)/)(’(1. Storytelling Caté: Love Stories Scottish Storytelling Centre. 43—45 High Street. 556 9579. 7pm. £3. An evening of live storytelling. all based around that whole love thing.
Edinburgh
Favourite Poems by Robert Louis Stevenson Scottish Poetry Library. 5 Crichton‘s Close. Canongate. 557 2876. 1--l.-15pm. Free. Christine De Luca hosts a bitesize celebration.
On the Road with David Balfour National Library of Scotland. 33 Salisbury Place. 623 3845. 7pm. Free (ticketed). Kevin Williamson talks to Professor Barry Menikoff frotn the University of Hawaii about the extensive research for his definitive edition of Kidnap/it'd.
Comics
HORROR
DENISE MINA & LEONARDO MANCO
Hellblazer: Empathy is the Enemy (Vertigo/Titan) oooo MENA
ill IN IS} 7
Constantine.
5v 1.! HNARL‘O
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Bitter mage John Constantine makes his way to Scotland. as crime writer Denise Mina (Field of Blood/The Dead Hour) makes her first foray into comics. bringing Constantine onto her home territory. Glasgow. the setting for most of her mystery novels. Here the chain smoking magician is drawn into a feverish conflict with the Oransay Contingent. a mysterious cult born off the Isle of Iona. Hel/b/azer once again wallows in it‘s OCCLlll origins. as the destructive power of empathy and the hellish ‘third place‘ are revealed.
Shot through with realism even within its paranormal world. Mina roots the characters in a grim world of ghosts. death and demons. Leonardo Manco has perfected his bleak art and thick black shadows that fit the urban horror so perfectly. A Scottish twist on one of comics' most endurineg dark characters.
(Henry Northmore)
LITERARY ADAPTATION ALAN GRANT 8.
CAM KENNEDY
Kidnapped (Waverley Books) ....
Robert Louis Stevenson's celebrated historical adventure doesn't need pictures to enhance its power. But this graphic novel adaptation, produced as part of the One Book — One Edinburgh reading campaign. successfully captures the essence of the original ripping yarn
.- r ~ ~ ‘r muddy-ta Itlllfihfir
andisntjusta truncation for those who can't manage too many words on the page. lnevitably. certain key elements of the original novel. such as the realistic detail of David and Alan's eventful flight through the heather into Glencoe. have been strained to their bare essentials. While this version may well serve as a way into Stevenson's original tale. Grant's sympathetic adaptation does rocket along at an appropriately breathless pace. illustrator Cam Kennedy bringing to chunky. full colour life such iconic characters as the odious Ebeneezer Balfour. fussy lawyer Rankeillor and. of c0urse. the heroic ‘bonny fighter' Alan Breck Stewart. (Allan Radcliffe)
WARPED HUMOUR CHRIS WARE The ACME Novelty Library 17
(Mr FC Ware and the Acme Novelty Library) ....
The 17th volume of Chris Ware's now self- published irregular comic continues the sad tale of Rusty Brown. a pre-pubescent dork who lives in a snowbound small town in America's mid-west. where he stubbornly clings to his best friend. a Supergirl doll. even though newly arrived nerd Chalky White attempts. falteringly. to pal up with the loser loner.
Ware's ongoing efforts to stultify the reader are. despite the storytelling reaching a new nadir in pointless misery. doomed to fail. The
more pathetic the story. the funnier it gets: Rusty wetting his pants in front of the class: picking bark off a tree in the school playing field while daydreaming of being a superhero named Ear Man: Supergirl's head being torn off by bullies. Likewise. the microscopic text and over complex page layout is intended to flummox the reader. the design of the strip is beautifully executed. You‘ll have to try harder than that. Mr Ware. you warped genius.
(Miles Fielder)
SUPERHERO WARREN ELLIS AND MIKE DEODATO JR. Thunderbolts No 110 (Marvel) 0000
I, __ t: .
....... )1 t lll=ll a a. Having run for the past few years as a fanboy- friendly graveyard for all of Marvels most colourful and perhaps least inspiring villains. this first issue of Warren Ellis' tour of duty as writer promises to make it a title worth reading.
The idea is that the Thunderbolts are a group of government- sanctioned ‘heroes'. a bunch of ex—crooks coerced and blackmailed into hunting down other super- powered types. Ellis has very kindly binned all the feeble also-rans who were crowding out the title previously and settled on the best of the worst. So the line- up includes a nefarious Green Goblin. Daredevil's psychotic nemesis Bullseye. the ever—scary Venom. the mysterious Penance and murderous super- powered psychiatrist. Moonstone.
Ellis is one of the best ideas men in comics and this is well worth a read if you like super- heroics with a bit of intelligence.
(David Pollock)