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As a Scotland-based literary mag publishing bold and brave fiction from both Scotland and the rest of the world, we disagree fundamentally with almost every point made here.
But also as readers (and writers) of Scottish literary fiction, this article has really fizzled our chips https://twitter.com/palebackwriter/status/1284419492257333248
But also as readers (and writers) of Scottish literary fiction, this article has really fizzled our chips https://twitter.com/palebackwriter/status/1284419492257333248
While we welcome the inclusion of such names as @kirstininnes, Ali Smith, @Chitgrrl, @Jenni_Fagan and @amy_may (and Lucy Ellman, who the author does not seem to realise lives and works in Edinburgh) the brevity of this list is startling.
In Scotland we have an incredible number of brilliant novelist - many of them young (though why does that matter?) and Not Cis Males. Many of them we have had the honour of publishing in our first or second issues—because we are one of the lit mags that apparently doesn't exist.
For instance: the brilliant @kirstylogan, multi-award-winning novelist and short story writer, five books out with another two novels on the way. We were lucky to publish Kirsty in our first issue. You can read more about all of Kirsty's books here:
http://www.kirstylogan.com/books/
http://www.kirstylogan.com/books/
Also: Camilla Grudova, writer of brilliant surreal short fiction with novels on the way. The Doll's Alphabet from @FitzcarraldoEds is unlike anything you've ever read. Camilla lives and works in Edinburgh. We published her in our first issue.
https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/books/the-dolls-alphabet
https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/books/the-dolls-alphabet
Queen of the Beautiful Sentence @HelenMcClory lives and works in Edinburgh but was born on Skye, and has two short story collections, one novel with another on the way and is wildly prolific with her flash fiction and more (and Goldblum). https://schietree.wordpress.com/fiction/
The utterly fantastic Leila Aboulela lives in Aberdeen; she has written five novels, was the first winner of the @CainePrize and has been longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction THREE TIMES. We published Leila in our first issue and it was a dream.
http://www.leila-aboulela.com/books/
http://www.leila-aboulela.com/books/
Poet and novelist @OneNightStanzas lives and works in Edinburgh and as well as her stunning body of work in poetry is the author of two feminist crime novels with another on the way, and she's won numerous awards for these absolute page-turners. https://www.hodder.co.uk/titles/claire-askew/all-the-hidden-truths/9781473673069/
In our first issue we published JANICE BLOODY GALLOWAY who for some reason does not ever make it into these articles despite being an icon of Scottish literature. Janice's novels are all fantastic but The Trick is To Keep Breathing is phenomenal. https://www.janicegalloway.net/janice-galloway-books
The genre-defying @everdundas lives and works in Edinburgh and writes work that is completely her own, unique. Her first novel is Goblin and she's currently working on a second, Hell Sans, which we are all wildly excited about. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/dec/06/goblin-ever-dundas-review
Last year @esmacneal (who is Scottish) broke into the UK literature scene with her enormously anticipated first novel The Doll Factory, and she's already got another on the way. Does Elizabeth not meet the standards set in this article? http://elizabethmacneal.com/the-doll-factory
We've got @ThatKerryHudson! Novelist and memoir-writer extraordinaire!! https://kerryhudson.co.uk/
We have HUGE commercial successes in Scotland: Stirling-born @GailHoneyman is a New York Times bestseller with Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine!
Maggie O'Farrell lives and works in Scotland, and Hamnet is surely one of the biggest books of the last wee while!
Kirsty Gunn!
Maggie O'Farrell lives and works in Scotland, and Hamnet is surely one of the biggest books of the last wee while!
Kirsty Gunn!
There are far too many brilliant Scottish novelists to mention here ( @louisewelsh00! @zoestrachan!) and this sort of narrative does nothing to lift up the incredible work they are doing.
It fails even to mention that @kirstininnes has a new book out: https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008342296/scabby-queen/
It fails even to mention that @kirstininnes has a new book out: https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008342296/scabby-queen/
Yes we've said brilliant a hundred times but we're not yet caffeinated enough, do excuse us.
As for there not being enough Scottish literary magazines known outside Scotland's borders: what is the author doing to help promote @Gutter_Magazine, @MalefactionMag, @bloodbathzine, @_counterpoint and small publishers like @MonstrousRgmt and @HauntPublishing?
Is the article's author giving space to people like the above, and like us? People who are striving to get the best Scottish writing to a wider UK audience, and making beautiful publications that reach to the other side of the world, taking Scottish writing with them?
Is the article's author aware of organisations like @ScotBAMEwriters, who are working incredibly hard to raise up under-represented voices in the Scottish literature scene? Or people like @Jessica_Brough who is working to break open the Fringe with @FringeofColour?
Novels are not the sole literary form and novelists do not only write novels; the health and accessibility of the Scottish art scene as a whole affects what books result from it. Where are the newspaper pages dedicated to ensuring that the arts scene continually improves?
Has the Times ever approached people like @InkyFingersEdin, who run the most inclusive and joyful spoken word night in Edinburgh? Or @Listen_Softly? Do they write about @Lighthousebks and the work they do? Do they know of short story writers like @wrathofgod, or @strongmisgiving?
Do they know about poets like @JayGYing and @a_pirmohamed, who both write short fiction (and who we have had the honour to publish)? About the fantastic @iiitskirstyn who runs @MarblesMag and writes beautifully on a range of subject?
Why do only novels matter?
Why do only novels matter?
One thing on which we can agree with the article's author is that funding is hard in Scotland, and models often exclude people who need support the most. We can also agree that Scottish literature does not have adequate representation on the UK stage. This is why we do what we do
It would be a great help to Scottish novelists (and short story writers, poets, artists...) if we were to examine what makes Ireland such a nourishing place for literature and the arts and propose those models here.
It would also help if newspapers would help lift up our work.
It would also help if newspapers would help lift up our work.
We can only apologise to the many incredible Scottish writers we did not have space for on this thread ( @helensedgwick! @AlisonMIrvine! So many more!) - but they are there if you care to look, writing an enormous range of work, and all should be lifted up.
If you want to familiarise yourself with Scottish literature you can subscribe to the literary mags mentioned above - and you can subscribe to Extra Teeth too, and in doing so help us to showcase Scottish writing (and pay the writers who produce it). https://www.extrateeth.co.uk/shop/subscriptionroll
And so something good comes of this article, we're going to buy (and recommend to you) Scottish-Nigerian author @socialmedea__'s debut novel Lote, from @JacarandaBooks, which is both incredibly literary and queer as hell.
Here's to Scottish lit.
https://www.jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk/products/lote
Here's to Scottish lit.
https://www.jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk/products/lote
