Shetland literature has a short history. Or, more accurately, the long history of Shetland literature has been truncated — the result of a double disadvantage, as far as official histories are concerned: an oral culture, in which few people could read or write, and a language that died out before literacy became widespread.The Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland would once have been rich in songs, poems and stories, spoken and sung in Norn (the closest extant relative of which is Faroese). But after Shetland became part of Scotland, in the late fifteenth century, the language was gradually replaced by a distinctive local variant of Scots. And by the time cultural collectors began to take an interest in such things, a few hundred years later, Norn was pretty much gone. Only a single full-length ballad, ‘Hildina’, was ever transcribed.Romanticising the pastWhen writers from Shetland did begin to publish their work, in the early nineteenth century, the islands were already being written about by authors from elsewhere. Most significantly, Walter Scott used the islands as the setting for his 1822 novel The Pirate, in which he imagined a rather glamorous version of Shetland’s history, with a particular emphasis on its Norse heritage. That portrayal, by one of the world’s most famous authors, was influential, but it also highlights a conundrum for writers in the islands: A romanticised, exoticised depiction of Shetland may be more appealing to readers than one that shows the... Continue reading at 'British Council global'
[ British Council global | 2020-02-13 12:54:04 UTC ]
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A previously unpublished writer has won the inaugural Historical Novel Society International... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The death of novelist Chinua Achebe has been confirmed. A statement from The Wylie Agency... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Little A imprint will release novels, memoirs, and story collections, while Day One will focus on short stories and new writers. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-03-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reference publisher Ilex Press has created what it describes as a "proving ground" for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How do you live with the knowledge that your baby is dying? A radiant new memoir chronicles the nine months after a mother's worst nightmare came true.Emily Rapp is not one to sugarcoat hard truths, including the brutal diagnosis she and her husband received in January 2011 when they took their... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kobo and Curtis Brown have teamed up to create free scholarships for the Curtis Brown Creative... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An E L James book to help aspiring writers record their "innermost thoughts" - Fifty... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Porter Anderson's curation publishing buzz takes in the IndieReCon virtual conference, questions B&N's future, and looks atbuying your way to the top of the bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writers have condemned the decision by a Scottish council to close seven of its 15 libraries and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Horrible Histories" author Terry Deary told a newspaper that public libraries are a drain on government resources that deprive authors of royalty checks. Best-selling childrens' book author Terry Deary has become the first major writer to speak up against the concept of public libraries. In... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Literary Platform and Bath Spa University have partnered on a new bursary for partnering... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The writer of US comedy Beavis and Butt-head is among 18 authors shortlisted for this year's Waterstones children's book prize. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Over the past eight years, more than 300 Florida middle and high school students graduated from aspiring writer to published author, thanks to the Océ Future Authors Project. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scotland's East Neuk Festival of chamber music (3rd to 7th July) will feature an expanded... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten-year-old Black Lawrence Press, an imprint of Dzanc Books, had its editorial approach to publishing contemporary literature and creative nonfiction affirmed last month when the National Endowment of the Arts chose three of its authors to receive 2013 Literature Fellowships. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-01-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There has lately been a rising backlash against the ubiquity of personal writing. Hamilton Nolan’s anti-confessional diatribe in Gawker claims that journalism students are now taught only to write about themselves, which I can say as a full-time faculty member at a journalism school is patently... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2013-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Eoin Colfer has been named as the author of the first of Puffin's eleven Dr Who short stories... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hilary Mantel's Man Booker Prize-winning Bring Up the Bodies (Fourth Estate) has secured a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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29th Street Publishing sees no reason why selling subscriptions shouldn’t be as easy as blogging. At a time when print magazines such as Newsweek and tablet publications like The Daily are shuttering, the team at 29th Street Publishing is betting on the future of magazines for iPad and... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2012-12-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hot Key Books has launched a free interactive writing project, "Fleur Hitchcock's Story... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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