Programme 2010
FRIDAY 25th JUNE
Tickets can be purchased from the University's online store.
Cynthia Rogerson9.00am
Free
Cynthia Rogerson is a Californian living in Ross-shire. Her first novel, Upstairs in the Tent , was published in 2001; her short stories and poems have been short-listed for competitions, anthologised, published in literary magazines and broadcast on BBC radio. In 2008 she won the VS Pritchett short story award. She is the co-director of
Moniack Mhor, an Arvon Writing Centre in Inverness-shire.
Cynthia's second novel, Love Letters from my Deathbed, was
published in 2007, and her next novel I Love You Goodbye, will be
published in August. Come and hear her read from it and ask her about
her writing life.
Creating History - the story of Canongate Publishing
10.00am to 12.00noon
Free
Canongate, founded in 1973, is one of the most exciting, dynamic and innovative publishing houses in the world, with a stable of international names bursting with literary talent and original ideas - David Simon, Barack Obama, Yann Martel, Philip Pullman - yet its roots are firmly Scottish and it retains the spirit of the Scottish Canon.
Come and hear the founder of Canongate, Stephanie Wolffe Murray, in conversation with Jamie Byng, it’s charismatic and influential publisher together with some of the authors who have helped make the house the international success it is today, including Michel Faber, Louise Welsh and Alasdair Gray.
Alasdair Gray is the legendary Scottish playwright, artist and author of several novels including Lanark which is now regarded as a classic, published by Canongate in 1981.
Louise Welsh is the author of three novels including The Bullet Trick and Naming the Bones, all published by Canongate Books to critical acclaim and commercial success.
Michel Faber is the author of many short stories and novels, including The Crimson Petal and the White and The Fire Gospel which was published in 2008 as part of the Canongate Myth Series. Kirsty Gunn will chair this event
Poem and a pieceAndrew Philip
12.30pm
£5 (includes a sandwich and tea or coffee)
Andrew Philip’s first poetry collection, The Ambulance Box, heralds the arrival of a strong and passionate new voice. Striking a fine balance between thought and feeling, Andrew Philip’s poetry is by turns lyrical, allusive and direct; subtly experimental and unafraid of traditional form. Above all, it is intense, tender, inquisitive writing, alive to the wonder as well as the hurt of the world we inhabit.
At the heart of this book, dedicated to Philip’s first child, who died
shortly after birth, is a deeply moving exploration of loss and discovery.
In poems of unsentimental and unsettling beauty, The Ambulance Box
examines the sudden transformations of grief.
Come and here this stunning new poet read from his first collection.
Lesley Glaister1.30pm
£3, concession £2
Lesley Glaister’s novels are page turning thrillers that grip the reader from the very first page. Her 12th novel, Chosen, is a tightly plotted tale of cults, 1970’s subculture and relationships -
two compelling narratives collide in a series of
shocking revelations and an exhilarating conclusion. Lesley
Glaister at the top of her game.
Lesley, whose early books include Nina Todd Has Gone, Honor
Thy Father and Now You See Me, lives with her husband between
Sheffield, Edinburgh and Orkney. She has three sons and teaches
Creative Writing at Sheffield Hallam University. She is a Fellow
of the Royal Society of Literature.
Rosamunde Pilcher
2.30pm
£3, concession £2
Rosamunde Pilcher is the Grande Dame of novels - and a new Honorary Graduate of the University of Dundee.
She began her writing career in 1949 as an author of Mills and Boon romances under the name Jane Fraser. She published ten such novels, the last, The Keeper’s House, in 1963.
The real breakthrough in Rosamunde Pilcher's career came in 1987, when she wrote the family saga, The Shell Seekers. Since then her books have made her one of the more successful contemporary female authors. Her novels have bestseller lists around the world, boasting an extraordinary staying power. Her unsurpassed storytelling skills and remarkable talent are equally portrayed in her rich, romantic and satisfying stories.
A wonderful opportunity to hear Rosamunde read and to celebrate a local author with a worldwide following.
Richard Holloway
3.30pm
£3, concession £2
The Richard Holloway Address
God, suffering and death: how poetry helps us deal with them
In 1897 in Tahiti, Paul Gaugin the painter heard that his daughter Aline had died back home in Holland. In response he created an enormous painting that was a cry of anguish at the riddle of existence, and on the top left hand corner he slashed three questions: what are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? These questions come with our humanity, and we have poured out oceans of ink and blood in answering them. In his lecture Richard Holloway will show how poetry has helped him wrestle with these questions.
Richard Holloway is a Scottish writer and broadcaster and was formerly Bishop of Edinburgh in the Scottish Episcopal Church. He was made an Honorary Graduate of the University of Dundee in 2009 and we’re delighted to be welcoming him back to give this lecture. His last book, Between the Monster and the Saint, was published by Canongate in 2008.
Nick Cave6.00pm
Nick Cave is the rarest of things, a true genius in many genres. Musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter and actor. He is appearing in Dundee to read from his book, The Death of Bunny Munro and be interviewed about his writing by Jamie Byng, Publisher of Canongate books.
Bunny Munro is a travelling salesman, a middle aged lothario whose constant womanising and alcohol abuse comes to a head after the suicide of his wife. He and his son go on an increasingly out of
control trip around Brighton, over which looms the shadow of a
serial killer.
Nick will be talking about what inspired the book, and answering
questions from the audience.
Photo of Nick Cave - credit Gavin Evans
