January 2008
Sometimes the world of Scottish books can take on the guise of a giant snakes and ladders board. No matter how many gains seem to have been made, there’s always a treacherous python waiting to return you to square one. Carving out a distinctive niche for writing and publishing industry while living next door to England has been an uphill struggle. But with the likes of Burns, Scott, Stevenson and publishers from Blackwoods, Chambers to Canongate, it seemed the argument had been won. Edinburgh is after all UNESCO’s first City of Literature, a designation which recognises both the history and contemporary strength of our literature. And 2008 has been shaping up well: it marks the 500th anniversary of printing in Scotland, and the calendar is filling with events to celebrate.
However, before the celebrations got underway in earnest, a particularly slithery serpent appeared from across the Atlantic. It’s a blow to find that the world’s biggest library is set to reclassify Scottish writing as a subsection of English literature. The US Library of Congress has recently announced that the Scottish literature will no longer have its own section. The Library is to reclassify and under the new rules, the heading Scottish Literature and more than 40 Scottish subjects are to be grouped under three headings: ‘English Literature – Scottish Authors’, ‘Dialect Literature – Scottish’, and ‘Scotland – Literatures’. This would mean for instance that the classic novel The Thirty Nine Steps by Scottish author John Buchan which will now be listed under ‘Adventure Stories – English’.
The fear is of course that other international libraries will now follow this example. Scottish writers have been quick to criticise, and the National Library of Scotland is vigorously resisting the move, and has requested that the Library of Congress reconsiders. The change would also affect Welsh and Irish literature. Linda Fabbiani, Minister for Culture, has been vocal on the subject. She rejected arguments that the new classifications were based on the language the authors were writing in, and pointed out: “Can they claim Mark Twain is an English author? Of course not.”
Meanwhile, a battle has still to be won on home soil. The Literature Forum for Scotland is making fresh demands for Scottish literature and language to be a compulsory part of the English Higher exam. Amazingly, the study of Scottish literature isn’t, although it used to be until five years ago. It follows the recent decision of the Scottish Qualifications Authority to restore a compulsory element of Scottish history to the exams. A short but potentially very significant ladder.
There are numerous small signs of vitality in the literature sector to move us up the board. Hugh Andrew, MD of Birlinn Publishing, bought the first in a series of independent bookshops in a bid to regain ground from the chains. In publishing, Waverley Books’ brilliant Maw Broon’s Cookbook continues to dominate bestseller charts north of the border. The new edition of the Directory of Publishing in Scotland is out mid-January, renamed Publishing Scotland Yearbook and, now in its 15th year, it’s bigger than ever before.
2007 was a bumper year for three writers based here, but two now face a new year without their main characters, as Rebus retired and Harry grew up. However, the third, Alexander McCall Smith, starts 2008 with a long-awaited television debut for his Mma Ramotswe. An overwhelming majority of surveyed writers in Scotland expressed their support of a writers’ centre in Glasgow. A public meeting will be held to take the initiative to the next stage.
Other initiatives point to strength too : Edinburgh is set to become a City of Refuge for writers who have fled from their country through persecution. On 30 January Scottish Book Trust unveils its new programme and fresh identity. The Trust has developed rapidly, and now occupies a central place in supporting and inspiring readers and writers in Scotland.
Much of the buoyancy is underpinned by public investment and Scottish Arts Council’s budget for literature has increased in recent years. A potential snake in waiting is the continuing lack of clarity for the overall future of funding for the arts in Scotland.
But with a proud history of 500 years of printing and all these indications of growth and collaboration, we should be confident when it comes to battling with the obstacles, no matter how large and scaly. Roll the dice and let the 2008 game begin!
Posted on Jan 04, 2008 - 04:29 PM