Scottish Literature Now: Harriet’s Journey to Hamburg
In August 2019, we welcomed the latest cohort of Momentum Literature delegates to the city. Momentum is a partnership programme run by Creative Scotland, British Council and Festivals Edinburgh, which brings a delegation of cultural leaders from around the world to Edinburgh during August to visit the Festivals. One such delegate was Dr Antje Flemming, Literature Officer for the City of Hamburg. Antje was a brilliant addition to the delegation — she demonstrated a genuine enthusiasm for the Scottish writers and festivals she encountered, even having to pay for excess baggage to accommodate the many, many books she bought during her stay. She also represented the City of Hamburg on the dance floor at the Edinburgh International Book Festival launch party, allowing for a different kind of cultural exchange!
British Council, one of the partners in the Momentum programme, have a small amount of money available for delegates to kick-start follow-up activity. British Council Germany holds a prestigious annual literary seminar and it was decided that in order to capitalise upon this new connection between Hamburg and Scotland, they would use follow-up funding to support it being held in Hamburg for the very first time. I was asked by Dr Elke Ritt of BC Germany to support the selection of a Chair for the event and was delighted when they were able to secure Louise Welsh, Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow and famed writer, primarily of psychological thrillers.
Louise was then given the exciting, if challenging, task of selecting just four of Scotland’s most promising talents to participate in the seminar. These writers were chosen to prompt discussions about “Scottish Literature Now”. Louise selected Mary Paulson-Ellis, Malachy Tallack, Kirsty Logan and Jay G. Ying.
The delegation of Scottish writers and one Creative Scotland Literature Officer, supported by our brilliant British Council colleagues, arrived in Hamburg on Thursday, 13th February. We were spirited through stormy weather to Hamburg’s Literaturhaus, a restored late-classical house on the Außenalster. Since 1989, it has hosted Nobel prize winners and emerging voices, programming writers from all over the world and inviting the public to enjoy its stimulating events, visit its bookshop or frequent its cafe.
Antje welcomed this Scottish delegation as she opened the seminar, which was well-attended with participants coming from all over Germany. She stressed the connections between Hamburg’s literature and Scotland, and emphasized the importance of developing international friendships through culture within this particular political climate, a sentiment which was expressed to me many times over the course of the weekend.
The ballroom of the Literaturhaus made for a spectacular setting for a reading. We reflected on the similarities between the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship which is currently a floating quarantine due to Coronavirus, and the cruise ship at the opening of Louise’s Death is a Welcome Guest, the second novel in The Plague Times Trilogy. We heard more about her experiences in Germany, and how her time in Berlin inspired The Girl on the Stairs, the German idea of the ‘hinterhaus’, the house within a house, offering both a physical location for the story and a strong metaphor for her protagonist’s experience of both housing another human through pregnancy, and escaping further into her fractured mind. We also got a sneak preview of Louise’s next novel, which offered an intriguing opening at a wedding.
Louise also reflected on the shifting nature of LGBTQ+ representation in Scottish literature. The line-up was refreshingly queer and many nuanced discussions about sexuality in literature, publishing and society were facilitated as a result of the diverse roster of participants. The authors selected all were all presenting very different work, but they shared commonalities. The works in question were all interrogating important questions relevant to Scotland today — questions around gender, sexuality, politics and power. Over the course of the next two days, the writers each had their own session, reading and answering questions, and there were further panel discussions. These discussions enabled consideration of whether or not we can discuss a ‘national literature’ in Scotland and how useful a term this may be considered to be. Representations of place, from the romanticised Highlands and Islands to the often ‘gritty’ urban landscapes of Scotland’s cities and the lesser-explored area of Scotland’s towns, were also analysed. Writers and delegates queried how much of our national identity, and our national literature, is constructed in opposition to English identity and English literature. To paraphrase Kirsty Logan — Scotland’s writers may be defined as novelists, short story writers, poets, queer writers, female writers, male writers, Scottish writers — and these designations may be useful at different points, but we must ensure that we remember that they are never just one of those things.
The seminar was a great success not only due to the rich discussions facilitated by the Chair and the interesting work brought to the table by the selected writers, but due to the enthusiasm and engagement of the audience. We all learned that it is a standard practice for writers to read for 45 minutes in Germany, far longer than we usually see in Scotland at, for example, book festivals. This allowed for some really in-depth probing of issues pertaining to the works in question and it is a testament to all those involved that their concentration never wavered. The readings and discussions were consistently stimulating. The audience repeatedly expressed to me a deep affection for Scotland and a concern about opportunities that may be lost as a result of Brexit. Many delegates said to me that impetus for developing international relationships is all the more pressing and I was glad to be part of that process of connection and collaboration.
There was, however, I’m sad to report, an unfortunate stowaway who tried to ingratiate himself in the proceedings. Wolfgang the mouse, who had not paid his delegate fees or registered in advance, made frequent appearances during readings, causing a great deal of hilarity throughout. To the Literaturhaus staff: I urge you to deal respond to him with mercy. He is clearly just a dedicated fan of Scottish literature and who can blame him for wanting to be involved in such an excellent programme?
On the Saturday morning, the delegates split off to take part in workshops led by the writers. I went to Mary Paulson-Ellis’s workshop, where we looked at the power of objects in narratives and at the relationship between what is conceived of as ‘literary fiction’ and ‘genre fiction’. We shared important objects, hearing lots of fascinating stories along the way, and also examined pieces of genre-blending writing from Ali Smith, Janice Galloway, Denise Mina and Kate Atkinson, confirming yet again the power of contemporary Scottish writing.
All in all, the days spent together in Hamburg were really inspiring. It was a useful opportunity for the writers, a number of whom have not yet been translated into German, and also a useful promotional activity for Scottish literature more generally. The receptive nature of the German audience was so heartening and it is my hope that we will continue to forge connections with the German literary sector. Many of the people I met whilst there are keen to programme Scottish writers; there is some work for us moving forward as we develop pathways for this international promotion. The audience also eagerly picked up copies of the Guide to Scottish Festivals and New Writing Scotland to take home with them, so they have many treats in store.
The seminar was a wonderful Momentum outcome and we are very grateful to our friends at British Council for supporting this work.
