On Saturday, August 24, I’ll be hosting a panel on Scottish crime writing, titled Tartan Noir, as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival.
James Ellroy coined the phrase Tartan Noir to describe his Scottish counterpart Ian Rankin.
For the panel I’ll be interviewing two great Scottish crime writers, Liam MciIvanney and Doug Johnston.
MciIvanney is the author of two books, All the Colours of the Town, published in 2009, and Where the Dead Men Go, which is due for release later this month (and which is being published locally in Australia through Allen and Unwin).
Johnston has authored five books, the most recent of which is Gone Again.
Both are terrific writers and I’ll be talking to them about this particularly Scottish form of literature, its origins, the duality of its anti-heroes and how it reflects modern life in Scotland.
Due to popular demand, the event has been moved to a larger venue, but tickets are going fast, so if you’re interested in attending, get in quick.
It will kick off at 4pm at Cinema 1, ACMI, and is supported by GREAT Britain Arts 13, presented by the British Council.
Ticketing information is available here on the Festival website.
Hope to see you there.
When I saw McIlvanney, I immediately thought William and his Laidlaw books – my bad! I reckon you should check him out though, if I promise to give Liam a look up!
Col,
I have been reading about Liam’s dad in the process of researching the session. His Laidlaw books sound great and I will definitely be checking them out.
His son is no slouch either. I loved ‘Where the Dead Men Go’, his upcoming title. A gripping story, beautifully written. It is also a wonderful ode to newspapers (the lead character being a journalist).
Cheers,
Andrew