Scotiana readers who have followed us on our ‘blue road’, in Quebec, already know we are great admirers of Kenneth White. Now, we would like to share with you what we know about the well-known Scottish-French poet, academic and writer. Open on my desk are the last two books published by Kenneth White : La carte de Guido and Les … Continue reading →
We’ll begin the new year, on Scotiana, with our reading of Walter Scott’s Rob Roy, one of the most famous Waverley novels. The French and English audio files will be available for download as well. That’ll take some doing but Janice and I are very enthusiastic about sharing with you our reading of this great Scottish author! But first, and … Continue reading →
Mairiuna, I finally found the picture of Thomas Carlyle’s statue that we took while crossing the little village of Ecclefechan, in the southern region of Dumfries & Galloway, close to the English border. 🙂 The artist, Joseph Edgar Boehm, has depicted the philosopher of Chelsea seated in an arm-chair, in deep study. More statues of Thomas Carlyle can be found, … Continue reading →
We can’t help returning to Abbotsford each time we go to Scotland to pay homage to the great writer. Sir Walter Scott’s presence can still be felt in each room of the vast house and along the quiet alleys of the beautiful park surrounding it. In some corner of the garden you may happen to fall upon the statue of … Continue reading →
Day after day, in our quest of Scotland, we go deeper and deeper into that fascinating country and like hungry pilgrims on a never ending path we discover new horizons at each turn. So, let us walk on, listening on the road to what people say and write there… If you could see my library, you couldn’t believe it. Since … Continue reading →
Okay Mairiuna! 🙂 It’s with great pleasure that I will try to shed some light on the prestigious 2006 to 2008 Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award honoring the very best in English crime and thriller writings. But before I disclose the names of the authors who received the ornamental dagger and a £20,000 prize tied to it, let me jot down … Continue reading →
On the subject of anniversaries and detectives, I’m indeed very pleased Mairiuna to talk about another well known Scottish author, Ian Rankin, creator of the famous Scottish detective Sergeant John Rebus. Back in 1987, when his novel Knots & Crosses introducing for the first time Inspector Rebus was published, Ian Rankin had no idea that he would win, in 1991-92, … Continue reading →
Conan Doyle died of a heart attack on 7 July 1930. He was aged 71 and lived then at “Windlesham”, his house situated in East Sussex, England. He was buried in the churchyard at Minstead in the New Forest, Hampshire. The epitaph on his grave reads “Steel True – Blade Straight – Arthur Conan Doyle – Knight – Patriot, Physician & … Continue reading →
Quite touching the idea of portraying Sherlock Holmes brooding over the death of his author… all the more since we know how, at one time, Conan Doyle got so tired of his character that he decided to ‘kill’ him. “I must save my mind for better things,” he wrote to his mother. In The Final Problem, published in 1893, Conan … Continue reading →
