BOOKS list.co.uk/books
HITLIST THE BEST BOOKS, COMICS & EVENTS
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left. Dundee, Wed 22–Sun 26 Oct.
✽ Dundee Literary Festival See preview, ✽ Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair Guardian columnist and Chavs author, Owen Jones, heads the exciting lineup at this alternative book festival. Expect plenty of post-referendum discussion. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh, Wed 22–Sun 26 Oct.
✽ Rally & Broad / The Scottish Poetry Library Present: Kate Tempest
There are lots of Rally & Broad highlights this month, including Inua Ellams on Fri 17 Oct in Edinburgh and Rachel Amey in Glasgow on Sun 26 Oct. But this exclusive launch of the new collection from Kate Tempest (pictured above) is our pick of the bunch. The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Sat 25 Oct.
✽ Scottish International Storytelling Festival This year, the festival celebrates
storytelling links between Scotland, Europe and the Pacific region. See preview, page 45. Scotland-wide, Fri 24 Oct – Sun 2 Nov.
✽ The Book of Strange New Things This stunning new book from Michel Faber
(Under the Skin) will also be his last, he says. See feature, page 28. Out Thu 23 Oct from Canongate. Michel Faber talks at Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, Tue 28 Oct.
✽ An Evening with James Ellroy
Legendary crime writer James Ellroy (LA Confidential, American Tabloid) launches his new novel, Perfidia, at this Aye Write! event. The Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Thu 6 Nov.
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✽ Alan Cumming: Not My Father’s Son Damien Barr joins The Good Wife actor
to talk about his stunning new family memoir. Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, Wed 12 Nov.
DUNDEE LITERARY FESTIVAL It’s not all about Bash Street on the Tayside Riviera
‘A n annual celebration of books in Scotland’s sunniest city,’ is how programme manager Peggy Hughes describes the Dundee Literary Festival. Now into its eighth year, it was originally established by Anna Day and Professor Kirsty Gunn as a June-set event in celebration of those writers earning honorary degrees from the University of Dundee, but has long since moved its time slot and grown in ambition. ‘The purpose is to bring readers and writers together, to meet favourite authors, get excited about books and have a brilliant, amusing, inspiring time together. It allows us to showcase Dundee in all its creative glory,’ says Hughes of the now five-day event.
She says she’s most excited to welcome international stars Jung Chang and Jodi Picoult (pictured) for two special ‘bookend’ events outwith the main festival dates (18 Oct and 6 Nov, respectively), while other guests will include recent Canongate signee Kevin Barry, former Slits guitarist and recent autobiographer Viv Albertine, and
50 THE LIST 16 Oct–13 Nov 2014
Scots broadcaster and debut novelist James Naughtie. There will also be a young readers’ morning, a ‘Translation Slam’ and two nights of spoken word and music from Culture Laser and New Portsound, as well as a Comics Day on Sunday featuring writing team Leah Moore and John Reppion, and Game of Thrones concept artist Will Simpson. A £12 pass also buys entry to a range of events from debut authors like Kirsty Logan, Carys Bray, Alan Rowan and Uuganaa Ramsay, while the annual Dundee International Book Prize will see £10,000 and a publishing contract with Cargo Publishing awarded to the winner. ‘The creative scene in Dundee is extremely vibrant and diverse, fuelled from the ground up and supported and amplified by Creative Dundee,’ says Hughes. ‘The literary scene is a part of that broad, exciting landscape, and it’s growing all the time.’ (David Pollock)
Dundee Literary Festival, Wed 22–Sun 26 Oct.