Feature | BOOKS
WRITE ON Kirsty Logan picks out some top events happening at Glasgow’s Aye Write! book festival
MARK Z DANIELEWSKI Danielewski’s 2000 debut, House of Leaves, is a cult classic: an experimental novel about a house containing an endless labyrinth in its basement. His third offering, The Fifty Year Sword, is out soon from Scotland’s own Cargo Publishing and promises even greater oddities. Here Danielewski joins Ben Marcus, author of The Flame Alphabet, another gorgeous piece of weirdness. The American authors will discuss innovations in storytelling and how to tell a gripping tale using unconventional techniques. It’s sure to be bizarre and brilliant. Sat 12 Apr. VIC GALLOWAY The East Neuk is known for its tourist-friendly i shing villages and Pittenweem oatcakes; but it’s also the birthplace of some of Scotland’s i nest musicians. In his i rst book, Songs in the Key of Fife, BBC Radio DJ Galloway (pictured, above left) charts the growth of Fence Records, whose collective includes Kid Canaveral, Withered Hand, and King Creosote. Another Fence success, James Yorkston, provides live music. Fri 4 Apr.
winner) set in 1860s New Zealand and modelled on astrology. Controversially, the Man Booker committee also decided to open up the prize to non-Commonwealth authors, sparking fears that US authors will elbow out books which might in previous years have been winners. But does the Commonwealth actually mean anything in terms of literature? Catton discusses this with Pakistani novelist and reviewer Kamila Shamsie and South African writer (and Man Booker shortlistee) Damon Galgut. Wed 9 Apr. AS BYATT Speaking of literary prizes, Dame Antonia Byatt is the winner of the Man Booker Prize, Commonwealth Writers Prize, and James Tait Black Memorial Award, as well as holding 14 (yes, 14) honorary doctorates and fellowships. She’s written for children and adults in a career than spans 1964 to the present day, encompassing novels, short story collections, essays and biographies. There’s certainly plenty to discuss in her own career but, ever humble, Dame Byatt will also be sharing the work of writers who continue to inspire her. Tue 8 Apr.
ELEANOR CATTON At 28, New Zealand author Catton (pictured, above right) was the youngest ever winner of the Man Booker Prize for her debut The Luminaries: a doorstop novel (it’s also the longest ever VAL MCDERMID & SUSAN CALMAN ‘I love audiences that engage with me,’ says grand dame of crime i ction Val McDermid, ‘and there’s nowhere better than Glasgow for that experience.’ McDermid is no pushover:
her Tony Hill series is known for graphic depictions of violence and torture; her Lindsay Gordon novels feature bold and complex lesbian characters (still uncommon in crime i ction, sadly); and she was attacked with ink after refusing to sign a Top of the Pops annual with a picture of Jimmy Savile on the cover. We’re impressed. But McDermid has some worries: ‘Sharing the stage at Aye Write! with someone as smart and funny as Susan Calman (pictured, above centre) is the icing on the cake. Though if she’s too smart or funny, I may have to push her off the stage . . .’ Sat 12 Apr. ALASDAIR GRAY No book festival would be complete without Scotland’s favourite polymath. Gray’s latest, Of Me and Others, is his i rst foray into memoir, though he’s already covered novels (his debut, Lanark is a Scottish classic), poetry and translation. Here, Gray gets beneath the skin, and this memoir is warm, funny and nostalgic, while never forgetting his strong politics. You’re never entirely sure what to expect from him (as fans will tell you, this is part of his appeal) but it will certainly be interesting, informative and amusing. Sat 12 Apr.
Aye Write!, Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Fri 4–Sat 12 Apr; ayewrite.com 20 Mar–17 Apr 2014 THE LIST 43