Modern Scottish Collections

Last summer we added to the collection some lovely Robert Burns works by the lettering artist Liz Mathews .

Today’s blog entry from Liz Mathews gives a great impression of the delights hidden within the covers of these Robert Burns inspired artist’s books.

It is that time of the year again when we ponder the difference between a tumshie, a neep, and a swede.

Appropriately enough on our national day for Robert Burns, I am meeting Michael Hance the Director of the Scots Language Centre, to discuss their work and Scots language digital resources, and to look at ways we might work together using oor ain collections. Here’s some classy interpretations of Burns gathered together by the Scots Language Centre – a wee sing-song.

Meanwhile poets are following the Burns tradition in his old home and writing on pub windows again in Dumfries

And here’s a reminder from our collections at the Scottish Screen Archive that not all Burns Suppers are the same … here’s tae the Immortal Memory … and tae Cliff Richard!

The 2011 volume of Scottish Gaelic Studies has now been indexed on Scottish Bibliographies Online (SBO). SBO provides references to articles within this volume about the Scottish Gaelic language. There are articles concerning the historical usage and development of Gaelic, as well as discussions about collectors of Scottish Gaelic poetry and oral tradition, such as Duncan Kennedy and Alexander Irvine. The value of early Gaelic poetry as a historical source for investigating the history of kingship in early medieval Scotland is also investigated. Scottish Gaelic Studies, which contains articles in English as well as Gaelic, is published by the University of Aberdeen.

To find references to material written in Scottish Gaelic (including books, chapters, articles and more) you can search the Bibliography of Scottish Gaelic (BOSG), which is part of SBO. All of SBO is searchable via the National Library of Scotland’s search discovery tool.

With 2012 newly upon us, work is progressing on our exhibition for the summer which – in succession to the current Beyond Shakespeare – will explore Scotland at the movies.

Already there has been much viewing of film clips from the collections, examination of old cinema artefacts, and unearthing of books, fan magazines, photographs and posters. The exhibition will look at the experience of going to the cinema in Scotland over the years, and how Scotland has appeared on film courtesy of our local filmmakers and imaginative folk from further afield.

Those who like a wee song and dance on a grey winter day may care to take a peek at this forthcoming attraction – ladies and gentlemen, we present – Brigadoon!

Next Thursday on December 1 here at the National Library of Scotland, we have the announcement of the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Awards.

The shortlist for the four categories came out earlier this week and features a wide range of works by or about Scots and Scotland. Competing for the Scottish Book of the Year Award are Scots as celebrated and diverse as John Burnside, Alasdair Gray, Jackie Kay, A.L. Kennedy, Ali Smith, and the late Sorley MacLean.

Publishing Scotland has put together a handy summary of all the shortlisted books in the four categories.

Meanwhile the Costa Book Awards nominations include three distinguished Scots – the novel A Summer of Drowning by John Burnside, and two competing poetry collections Fiere by Jackie Kay, and The Bees by Carol Ann Duffy. All are serious contenders.

Although now based in London Jane Harris lived in Glasgow for many years, which perhaps will come as no surprise to readers of her second novel, Gillespie and I, which arrives complete with a detailed street map of the centre of the city and Kelvingrove Park as it appeared when filled with the famous international exhibition of 1888.

Read more about Jane Harris and other Scottish writers at
Books from Scotland.

(Book cover image from Faber)

With the dark nights upon us and Halloween recently past, you may be interested to hear about our small display of modern material relating to the Scottish witch-hunts. The display brings together a variety of books on Scottish witchcraft and related subjects, as featured in the Winter issue of Discover NLS (due out later this week). The Scottish witch-hunts have been explored not only in histories but in novels, children’s books, plays and music, all of which are represented in the display.

The display can be found in the cases outside the doors to the Reading Rooms in George IV Bridge during November 2011.

Should you wish to discover further material on Scottish witchcraft, you can find references to books, chapters and articles on Scottish Bibliographies Online.

Scottish interest material recently received by the National Library of Scotland included Wondrous flitting, a play by Scottish playwright Mark Thomson. Wondrous flitting premiered at the Traverse during the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a production by the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company.

Fiona J. Mackintosh’s From the South Seas to the North Sea: the story of Princess Titaua of Tahiti looks at the fascinating story of the Tahitian princess who married a Fifer and is buried in Anstruther. An important figure in Tahitian society, Titaua married George Darsie of Anstruther, manager of a large Pacific trading company, and lived in Fife for the last years of her life. From the South Seas to the North Sea is published by The Kilrenny and Anstruther Burgh Collection.

Scottish ethnicity and the making of New Zealand society, 1850-1930 by Tanja Bueltmann and published by Edinburgh University Press examines the substantial role of Scots immigrants in the shaping of New Zealand society. Community life, ethnicity, integration with other migrants and the romanticised image of Scotland abroad are all considered in this study.

Scottish poet and Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy has been shortlisted for the T S Eliot Prize 2011 for her new poetry collection The bees, published by Picador. She’s one of two Scots who are in with a chance of winning the prize; John Burnside has also been shortlisted for his Black cat bone, published by Cape. You can find references to works by and about Carol Ann Duffy and John Burnside on Scottish Bibliographies Online.

Last night the latest in our series of public events at the National Library of Scotland featured the novelist Christopher Wallace discussing his new novel Killing the messenger.

Christopher Wallace had great critical success with his first novel, the Saltire Society prize-winner The Pied Piper’s poison, and a very striking take on the literary territory of World War Two. Two more original novels The Resurrection Club and The Pirate quickly followed, but Killing the messenger is his first work for 10 years.

He spoke frankly and entertainingly about this political conspiracy novel, a pungent satire on New Labour and spin. Killing the messenger is the first novel from Freight Books, the Scottish publisher of the acclaimed literary magazine Gutter.

For more information on upcoming literary events at the National Library of Scotland, including a special Gutter event in November, see our listings at Events.

Today is National Poetry Day! To celebrate, the National Library of Scotland has produced a set of web pages featuring poems from the six pamphlets shortlisted for the 2011 Callum Macdonald Memorial Award. Each page includes two poems chosen by the poet from their shortlisted pamphlet, along with some biographical information.

We hope that you enjoy the variety of poetry on offer at our National Poetry Day 2011 web pages. Thank you to the poets and publishers who allowed us to use their work.

This is the fourth year that we have produced web pages to mark National Poetry Day. If you would like to read poetry from other years, please take a look at our previous National Poetry Day web pages.

You can find out more about the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award at the Scottish Pamphlet Poetry website and more about National Poetry Day at the official website.