Books HITLIST THE BEST BOOKS, COMICS & EVENTS
Quintin Jardine ‘Is the truth worth dying for?’ queries the blurb for QJ’s The Loner, a standalone crime thriller featuring a Spanish-Scot heading for potential oblivion. Waterstone’s, Edinburgh, Thu 31 Mar.
Roddy Doyle The fate of middle-aged men in modern Ireland is the concern with Doyle’s latest book of short stories, Bullfighting, a collection of moving, tender and witty tales. See review, page 44. Jonathan Cape. Miranda France A rural drama called Hill Farm arrives from the linguist, journo and travel writer in which a dissatisfied farmer’s wife hunts down some meaning in her life. See review, page 44. Chatto & Windus.
An Evening with Jon Ronson and Richard Wiseman Two engaging chaps gather up for this Science Festival event. See Ronson profile, page 46. The Jam House, Edinburgh, Sun 17 Apr. Luke Wright Live poetry from the Aisle 16 alumnus, as part of the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival. See Comedy preview, page 52. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 8 Apr.
Evolution: The New Classics Richard Dawkins proposes the theory of evolution as the new classics, uniting many subjects into a single vision. George Square Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 15 Apr.
David Kinloch The Scottish Writers’ Centre David Foster Wallace The dearly departed
Melvyn Bragg The walking encyclopaedia
presents an evening with this Glasgow-based writer and academic to launch his latest inventively-titled collection of poetry, Finger of a Frenchman. CCA, Glasgow, Thu 21 Apr. author of books such as Infinite Jest and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men has his final work, The Pale King, published. See feature, page 43. Hamish Hamilton.
discusses his latest work, Book of Books, an examination of the radical and ongoing impact of the King James Bible. St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, Tue 26 Apr.
Iraqi Fiction This Scottish Writers’ Centre event features talks with former political prisoner Abbas Khider and refugee Kusay Hussain, whose works were recently translated by Scottish PEN. CCA, Glasgow, Thu 28 Apr.
42 THE LIST 31 Mar–28 Apr 2011
list.co.uk/books
FirstWrites INTRODUCING DEBUT AUTHORS
Our series of Q&As with debut authors continues with SOPHIE HARDACH, whose novel features a mysterious book and a brush with the past
Give us five words to describe The Registrar’s Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages Kurdish odyssey with Parisian denouement.
What was the first book you read? A Hello Kitty picture book. Does that count as reading? I think it does. I’m a big fan of graphic novels and cinematic writing, so the Hello Kitty picture book was clearly a major literary influence. Which book makes you cry? Sensei no Kaban by Hiromi Kawakami. I started crying during the chapter where the retired teacher finally declares his love to lonely Tsukiko, and didn’t stop until the glossary.
Which book makes you laugh? A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole because it is funny and sad, and because meeting the protagonist, Ignatius J Reilly, was like looking into a fairground mirror.
What one thing would you change about the publishing world? I would scrap the author’s nationality from the entry criteria of prizes and awards: what matters is the book and where it was published, not where the author was born. What plans do you have for book number two? I’m working on a novel about conscientious objectors during World War Two. It’s surprising how controversial the subject remains more than 60 years on, given that such respect for freedom of conscience is something Britain can be proud of. (Interview by Brian Donaldson) ■ The Registrar’s Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages is published by Simon & Schuster on Fri 1 Apr.