First impressions often colour the perspective, and in the case of Alexander McCall Smith’s new novel, Trains and Lovers, the initial sense is of a self-help book most likely to be found close to the booksellers’ counter. The size, feel and appearance of the book give off that sense of introspection. McCall Smith is renowned for Read More
The universe has a habit of making its own plans for us all; in our darker moods, taking control can seem dauntingly futile. However, a little perspective can go a long way. For this Dundee Rep Ensemble and the Lyceum co-production of JB Priestley’s classic play,Time and the Conways, finding the calm in the eye of Read More
The shelves are not short of Plath collections, and we might question the need for yet another volume; however, this particular volume is well worthy of consideration. Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate, introduces an anthology of Plath’s poems with a lengthy, but not gratuitous, foreword, explaining her choices and outlining her own love of Plath’s Read More
Perhaps best known for his “Vengeance Trilogy”, Park Chan-wook has demonstrated a fascination with the darker side of humanity and Stoker, his first English language film, is no exception. Stepping away from the graphic violence of Oldboy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Park’s latest offering places emphasis on the psychology of its characters, a move which only serves to Read More
“Only the story knows the when and the where of it. It makes an offer: enter the myth and it’s yours. We can make our lives from the story.” Clarke, Honey The National Poet of Wales took to her podium, in a cavernous, half-filled space, flanked and dwarfed by two large textile artworks. Her task was Read More
On the Friday night at StAnza, the distinguished Canadian translator and poet Erin Moure was paired to read with the first US winner of the TS Eliot Prize, Mark Doty. Moure’s work, influenced by post-structuralism, challenges many poetic norms, splitting and interrupting words and language. She opened with her translations of, and responses to, the Read More
The British “feel good” movie seems to have become somewhat of a trend in recent years; the kind of “tear jerkers” that deal with a sad subject matter, but conjure up an uplifting message which encourages everyone to believe that, through trial and tribulation, everything will work out in the end. Naturally, this is the Read More
Drawing her New South Wales trilogy to a stunning conclusion, Kate Grenville’s latest novel, Sarah Thornhill, appeals to the romantic soul and the aesthete alike. Once more South-east Australia’s Hawkesbury River provides the mise-en-scène in which the Sydney-born author’s drama unfolds – an untamed coastline that exhibits as much personality as any one of the novel’s Read More
This collaboration between Tessa Ransford and Iyad Hayatleh, both poets and translators, offers a creative amalgam that weaves religion, ritual and culture to produce some remarkable poems. Ransford, a founder of the Scottish Poetry Library met Hayatleh, a Palestinian from Syria, through the “Writers in Exile” committee of Scottish PEN. From a few translations of Read More
Robot and Frank, the feature debut from director Jake Schreier and screenwriter Christopher D. Ford, is something rare; a science-fiction movie with real human warmth at its core. Set in the not-too-distant future, the tale of ageing former cat burgler Frank Weld (Frank Langella) and his robot carer is both comic and at times poignant. Read More