Val McDermid and Ian Rankin at Largo Arts Week

AUTHORS Val McDermid and soon-to-be-Sir Ian Rankin are topping the bill at Largo Arts Week, which begins on Saturday. The writers will take part in “An audience with…” events in the Fife village’s Crusoe Hotel. Lower Largo is famous as the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk, the man who inspired the story of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson…

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Why do authors use pen names?

THE reasons why writers use pen names is the theme for a new exhibition at the National Library of Scotland. “Pen Names” opens at the library on George IV Bridge in Edinburgh on Friday. The exhibition draws on material from the library’s archive to cover a range of writers using pseudonyms from the 1800s to…

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Malachy Tallack launches fishing book

AUTHOR Malachy Tallack will launch his fishing book, Illuminated by Water, at Portobello bookshop on Thursday. Tallack – who is also a novelist, travel writer, and singer-songwriter – will be interviewed at the event by artist and writer Christina Riley. Growing up in Shetland, with its myriad lochs, Tallack and his brother roamed the island…

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Frankie Boyle on debut novel shortlist

COMEDIAN Frankie Boyle is among six writers shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize. The debut award was launched in 2019, with two of its previous winners – Claire Askew and Deborah Masson – going on to make the longlist for this year’s main McIlvanney Prize. The judges for this year’s debut prize are Arusa…

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The Week in Pictures: Outlander, robots, and more

Which pictures have caught the eye of Scottish Field’s team this week? Peter Ranscombe takes a light-hearted flick through photos of Outlander, robots, and more. DOUNE Castle, one of the stars of the Outlander television series, has reopened to the public. Access was restricted at the castle last year, so that Historic Environment Scotland could…

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Dracula and his Scottish links are revealed

DRACULA and his links to Scotland are being marked tonight. Bram Stoker’s novel is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Stoker began writing Dracula while staying at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel in Cruden Bay, with his signatures from its guestbook in 1894 and 1895 surviving to this day. Aberdeeshire Council is hosting a civic reception…

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Cask 88 marks Sir Walter Scott’s 250th anniversary

WHISKY bottler Cask 88 is commemorating Sir Walter Scott by today unveiling a collection of four special bottles. Each bottle is named after a phrase made famous by Scott. The company took a cask of 19-year-old Ben Nevis single malt and split it between four smaller casks for finishing. “Lock, Stock and Barrel” was finished…

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Edinburgh International Book Festival flits to new home

THE Edinburgh International Book Festival won’t return to its traditional home in the city’s Charlotte Square Gardens, but is instead moving into the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. The book festival, which began in 1983, broadcast online sessions during 2020 and then moved into Edinburgh College of Art last year to hold hybrid events. The festival…

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Birlinn founder Hugh Andrew receives Shackleton medal

PUBLISHING house Birlinn founder Hugh Andrew has been presented with the Shackleton medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Andrew received the award for his “leadership and citizenship in publishing”. He was also made an honorary fellow of the society. Roger Crofts, former chair of the society, described Andrew as the “vital spark” of Scottish…

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Edinburgh’s book festival unveils schools events

COMICS, climate change, and knitting are all on the agenda for the schools programme at this summer’s Edinburgh International Book Festival. Every event is free and fully-hybrid, allowing primary and secondary school pupils around Scotland and around the world to tune-in, even if they can’t make it to Edinburgh. The programme – which runs between…

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