Books —
FELIPE FERNANDEZ- ARMESTO Making history vibrant
It takes a particular brand of {l(,£lfl(:llll(, rraivet/ to hand out early draft copies
of your t’ib‘fl page rrianiisrript to students before the book is eyen published. but that is exactly what popular Hllllf; l historian l‘elipe l er‘nande/ Arrnesto did a couple of years ago. llie manuscript was for his exhaustineg titled book l/ie World; A (J/oba/ / lrsto/y l/o/u/rie //.' Since l.’i’()() and several weeks into the term, illegal (,()l)|t:f, of the book began appearing on internet file sharing semice /erol’aid Bootleg copies of the work soon spread. While l~ernandex Armesto realised his options were liriiited in fighting such piracy. various online watchdogs used his case as a notable example of the need for new copyright rules that tackled such academic excess as wanting to share your research With students
{it} year old Armesto is a superdon. Willi more chairs and board seats in UK and US universities than you can shake AJP Taylor at. his output is phenomenal. lhe pick of the hunch are Mr/lennrurri: A History of the Last flier/sand Years and Food: A History which prove that Armesto belongs to that small but eminently smart group of conirrientators who make history Vibrant and diseased at the same time. ll’aul Dale) Recommended Reading: Mr/lerrri/uni, recounts the rise and decline of the world's ciyilisations. I (’(lAug. 8pm. 518’ (5‘6).
AUTISM
Dealing with a difficult condition
\ _, f ~ . .._.t Earlier this year. the SNP claimed there had been a sevenfold increase in the number of children With autism in Scottish schools. The Scottish Executiye said the main reason was an improvement in diagnosis. But is it as simple as that“? 'The numbers are 0." the rise] insists Marti Leimbacn lplClLlledl. author of Danie/ lsn'.‘ Ta/Arng. a fictionalised acc0unt of her experience as a mother of an autistic child. 'People are talking ab0ut it. because autism is there.‘ Until her own
DAVID NICHOLLS '
Keep on writing
Nobody does squirm quite like David Nicholls. Capturing those awkward moments in life when you need more than a red face to hide behind, he lands his characters in one embarrassing situation after another. All to hilarious effect, obviously. Nicholls’ debut novel, Starter for Ten made an unlikely working class hero out of a student with a University Challenge obsession while his follow-up, The Understudy, was a painfully accurate portrait of a failed actor.
Both were filled with excruciating moments of social faux pas Basil Fawlty would be proud of. But they also tugged at the heartstrings, as did one of Nicholl’s other writing credits, series three of Cold Feet. ‘I think empathy and emotion are really important in good comedy,’ says Nicholls. ‘And my main priority is to be funny and sad at the same time.’
A film version of Starter for Ten, adapted by Nicholls and starring James McAvoy is due out in October. So, with novels, TV and film under his belt, Nicholls is in Edinburgh to pass on a few tips in ‘The Writing Business‘. According to Nicholls, writing for the page and screen has its differences, but for anyone trying to follow in his footsteps here’s a key piece of advice. ‘With fiction writing there’s only one rule of thumb which is just do it,‘ he says. ‘Don’t prevaricate, just keep writing, because that’s the only way to find your voice.’ (Kelly Apter)
Recommended Reading: Starter for Ten is a laugh not. I IQAug. (5.45prrr. 5‘5 rl‘a’r.
son had been diagnosr-ad after . ‘ . endless consultations Leimbach had taken no interest in the condition. p" Now. as a result of working the system. she's become an expert.
That's likely to bean experience 2 ~ \ common to several of the authors in ,, L - " ./ R the ‘Autism Unveiled series. among ' them mountaineer Stephen Venables. novelist Douglas Kennedy and broadcaster Michael Blastland all of whom have fathered autistic children. Also appearing are Kamran Na/eer. once a child at a special school. now a government policy maker. and Daniel Tammet. whose condition allows him to perform incredible mental feats even though everyday acts are problematic. ‘We are better at diagnosing it.' admits Leimbach. 'But one of the reasons for that is these days we get a lot of practrce.’ iMark Fisheri Recommended Reading: Orr/e is the ston. of Stephen \r’enables' late son I See Week Planner for .‘u"/ details.
KIDS EVENTS
From Alfie to the Gruffalo
We at The Lrst have always been prOLid to see Our proteges disappear
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off into the distance tr. create wonderful new caree's of their o Of cowse. c. r‘ "ardl, rglai'r‘ to “ex,- GISCO‘JSFEU cartoonist Jor‘r‘ Farrell cat since dra‘.‘.’i"g “is last SKET’L" for as. W: has cart/ed Out a lit“; niche in kids literature. ‘.‘lit'r‘ The Flight of the Sr/ver Turf/e. the allow us to dip into a world
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14 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 112-1 Aag 2306
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ANDREW MOTION Putting poetry into the palace
lhe pr wt of l’oet l aureate I‘; one .‘rlrich tends to putter awa‘, in the background of most people's lives e/en thoug,b legendar ,r figures such a‘. .John Hetiernan and l ord lennyson have been besto'.‘/ed ‘.‘/|ll‘i that title. ()urrerit l’l Andre‘s.’ Motion, succeeded in getting his Job onto the front pages of the papers in Will”. when he penned '()n the Record. tlf:f;(,lll)‘,"l by the author as ‘a kind of rap' to commemorate the I’l';l birthday of l’rince William. If the press coxerage and the .‘Jeb debate were anything to go by. it might appear that Will) himself .‘xas the only person in tire courit', to like it. With the opening garnbit of 'Better stand bark l lere", an age attack. But the second in line '|‘. dealing .Vith it fine' ,/()ll can see what the films lllltllrl haye been about. Perhaps l/lotion should have stuck to the t,pe of .‘Jorl’ .‘Jhicf. be had produced to get the Job in the first place. The l. ssex boy taught l llflli',l‘ at Hull lJ' i.”‘:f‘)ll,/. l‘iél‘, ‘:’lll‘:(l lllf: PUGl/j/ [f‘r'fl‘n‘u ’i’LUOlJ‘L’l lllf: SOlll‘flUQl l/laurgharrr Award and .‘ron the \i.‘."‘.lll,f‘:21(l biography mm: in l'l’l/l for hi‘, .‘rork about Philip Lari/in. Despite tr‘e riegatixe reaction to his Laureateship which was announced for a ten year period in 1’1’19. he did stick his head abort: the parapet am a poerri against tt‘e ill/{J‘Mflll of lrad e' titled Pegirne Cf arrge.’ rBr-ar Donaldson Recommended Reading: ‘//arrie;'.rright the Poacher concerning the life of the CflllC_ forger. painter and suspected murderer. I 22 Aug /Amne‘;ty International Imprisoned Writers Series). 5. 30pm, free tickets: 23 Aug. 7 7.30am, £7 (£5).