BOOKS PREVIEW
_ anthology. according to editor Paul H. Scott, is ‘intended to be read straight I through‘. though the density of the u 8 individual essays, necessitated by the requirement to cover, say ‘Theatre in Scotland: l2|4 to the Present‘ in thirteen pages, would make that a pretty demanding task; readers are . more likely, I suspect, to dip ill and out i as their interests dictate. , ! An eat-diplomat turned writer, Scott is ,1 , Sue Wilson browses l actively involved in a bewildering through two new books ' number ofScottish cultural and . ’ . . I political organisations — he is a Vice- - WhICh promlse to tell you president ofthe SNP. Convener for the you need to know ! Advisory Council for the Arts in I .' l l Scotland and the Scottish Centre for I ’1' ' ' _ ,1 ' i abOUt Cdledonldn cu ture’ 5 Economic and Social Research. Jo c “SM” 8 "i . v ‘ ' ‘ é Prrsident of Scottish PEN. Vice- 0'8. Email 90' n c cottl Theatre Co 31984 Citairnlan of {he Saki“: Society and a 0' Ana 0' "IO "Iin Estates. From Scotland: A For ihose who don't know iheir ? member ofthe campaign for a Scottish straight.‘ As this suggests. the book‘s fields, one criticism which could be kaiiyard from iheir Kelman, iheir I National Theatre, to name but some of underlying purpose is a political one, as levelled is ihni by dealing wriheaeh Carlyle from their Carver, a double . his bow-strings. In other words, he is at Scott makes clear in his introduction, SUbjL‘Cl. discretely, the book maintains dose of help is at hand. From polygon '. model example of the ‘democratic where he analyses the marginalisation thedivrsions between cultural spheres we have A New Companion r0 Seorrish , intellect’ that he sees as central to of Scottish culture followrng the which Scott says he wants to break Culrure, ediied by David Daichcs, a ' Scottish culture. and which he feels has Unions of the Crowns and Parliaments. down. thematic approach, drawmg revised edition of their reliable l981 ‘ been eroded by contemporary trends and the resulting lack ofcultural self- out the inter-relationships between an volume, while Mainstream have jusi towards greater specialisation. While confidence — the ‘Sc0ttish cringe‘ — and music. or philosophy and literature, published semiarid; A Concise Cir/mm] this was one motivation for producing experienced by Scots themselves. Such might have proved more rewarding, Hismry, iweniy-four fact-packed e53;in ’ the book. another — ‘the clincher' he denigration has, he asserts, failed ~ as and could also have added up to a on everything from sport to cinema, 3 says — was lan Lang’s assertion during demonstrated by the currently stronger political case. Another, all too religion to rock music, - the Usher Hall debate before the flourishing state of the Scottish ans familiar. gripe is the near absence of The Polygon hook is designed as a ? election last year that ‘Scotland’s scene - but a fuller appreciation of women — only one female contributor. ready-reference compendium, with ' greatest days have been since the l Scotland’s historical achievements is and, in thirteen-page index. only concise but thorough essays, ' Union. Our greatest economic growth, needed to bolster current claims to about thirty-five references to women. alphabetically-ordered, on an our cultural flowering. our art and our 2 political self-deteriiiination. without In this, it couldbe argued. the. book impressively all-encompassing range of . heritage come from the last 300 years'. | which, he says. ‘Scotland cannot perpetuates an image of Scottish subjects: ‘culturc‘ is defined to include 'This is so profoundly untrue.’ says I fully at ease with itself, or realise its culture as false. in its way. as Ian ‘vinually all aspects of life. work, play i Scott. ‘that i felt if someone could get E full potential.‘ Lang‘s: and imagination‘, so that banking, food up on a public platform in the middle of While the essays, by the likes of John A New (.‘mnpanion to Scottish Culture and marriage customs, for instance, are § Scotland's capital and have the nerve to g Purser. Duncan Macmillan. Andrew is published by Polygon at £17.95; included along wiih an, lireraiure, '? utter such a piece of nonsense, then that Marr and Hamish Henderson, offer Scotland: A Concise Cultural History is music and so on. The Mainstream showed it was time to set the record , authoritative surveys of their respective published by Mainstream at £20.
What the critics are saying about Ron Ferguson's
BLACK DIAMONDS AND THE BLUE BRAZIL "Every now and again, perhaps once every five years, a book is F o I D D E N published which captures the elusive essence of the game of
football . . . Black Diamonds and the Blue Brazil can stand
comparison with the very best of football writing." Scottish Football Historian
"This book is a very fascinating document indeed . . . The work of a true craftsman in literature, I recommend it to the many readers who have never seen a football kicked in their lives . . . " George Mackay Brown in The Orcadian
"Wonderfully written stuff, with a pawky humour that keeps the story bubbling along and the reader in rapt anticipation of the next delicious revelation . . . It's a wonderful read for a cold
autumn weekend." SCOTLAND'S PREMIER John Maxwell in The Herald "Ron Ferguson's book is not only the story of a triumphantly doomed football club, but the sad and funny chronicle of Cowdenbeath itself." & Kenneth Roy in Scotland on Sunday "Very much a football book, written by one who loves the game 8:, I , and his club, and that shines through every line of every page. If football is, as some say, the working man's opera, then KI EN; En! Ron Ferguson is the Puccini of his day." B C Scottish Football Historian ’ I BLACK DIAMONDS AND THE BLUE BRAZIL 2/3 TEVIOT PLACE Rev. Ronald Ferguson £5.95 ED|NBURGH EH1 2Qz
031-225 8613
N The List [7 December l993—l3 January 1994