Two Tayside and Fife authors hope to raise the region’s cultural profile abroad after being picked to showcase Scottish literature.
Angus-based James Robertson and Fife poet Kathleen Jamie were among 40 UK writers selected by the International Literature Showcase (ILS), which aims to build collaborations between authors, professionals and cultural events.
James, from Newtyle, explained that despite Tayside’s progress in recent years, it remains an overlooked area both in Scotland and abroad.
He said: “I was approached by the Writers’ Centre Norwich to be featured in the ILS.
“The idea is to have a range of writers, both established and emerging, of all genres, showcased on a website with photos, videos and excerpts from their work.
“That way they can be matched with events around the world, for example literature festivals looking for UK authors.
“The online resource makes it easier to find out more about the author and whether they’d be a good fit for the event, and it’s also a great way for writers to gain more exposure.
“Dundee and Tayside as a whole has a lot going for it, such as the excellent literary festival, but it still remains relatively unknown abroad.
“Even within a Scottish context, this area tends to be overlooked, so hopefully this will be a chance to raise its profile.”
James is the author of six novels, four short story collections and several poetry pamphlets for adults, and many books and translations written in Scots for children and young readers.
Kathleen Jamie is chair of poetry at Stirling University and her poetry collections include The Overhaul, which won the 2012 Costa Poetry Prize, and The Tree House, which won the Forward prize.
Other authors on the list include best-selling novelist Jessie Burton, Neel Mukherjee, Sarah Moss and Scottish author Amy Liptrot, as well as the organisations Fitzcarraldo Editions, The Poetry Exchange, Seamus Heaney Centre and Scottish Booktrust.
Run by Writers’ Centre Norwich, the British Council and Arts Council England, the ILS is a free to access space designed to bring together the global professional community and showcase the UK’s vibrant literature scene.
