Sunset Song Wins Scotland's Premier Vote

Vol.11; No 4 Spring 2017 Sunset Song Wins Scotland’s Premier Vote Grassic Gibbon received a grand Gibbon’s classic received the Song over the last twelve years, pre-Christmas boost with the an- very highest endorsement, as from Scotland’s MSPs voting Sun- nouncement on 17 October that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set Song their outstanding favour- Sunset Song had been voted praised the novel from first en- ite from Scotland’s rich literary her- Scotland’s favourite book in an countering it as a young teenag- itage and Sunset Song topping the online poll run over the summer er. She broadened out her warm summer poll of the hundred best for the ‘Love to Scottish books of all time compiled Read’ cam- by The List magazine in 2005, to paign conduct- being revealed at that summer’s ed by BBC Edinburgh International Book Fes- Scotland in tival as the winner of the accolade partnership of Scotland’s favourite book in a with The Scot- readers’ vote conducted by The tish Book Trust Herald newspaper. and The Scot- tish Library Inside this issue and Infor- • Uwe Zagratzki welcomes a spar- mation Coun- kling new German translation of cil. LGG stories and essays Cream of the Crop: the recent film tie-in covers of Polygon’s Sunset Song and A In a special Scots Quair • Update as the Centre enters its quar- BBC Scotland television pro- praise of the book, as ‘a wonder- ter centenary in style with a special birthday Supper as well as a rich gramme, Kirstie Wark presented ful story, beautifully written’, to programme of events arranged the top ten novels in the survey indicate the thematic depths that throughout the year introduced by their celebrity are equally important to its lon- • The very latest Centre news, including plans for the formal collation of champions, including works as gevity, concluding, ‘it also said foreign language editions of Mitch- ell’s writings, and of funding to diverse as Iain Banks’s The something about the history of the upgrade the play facilities for chil- Wasp Factory, voted second, country I grew up in and it reso- dren James Hogg’s The Private Mem- nated with me very strongly as a • Andy Hall reports on an entertaining Evening in Conversation with Tony oirs and Confessions of a Justi- young Scottish woman, and I Roper held at the Centre fied Sinner and J K Rowling’s think its themes are timeless to best-selling children’s fantasy this day.’ Harry Potter and the Philoso- This is the latest in popular acco- pher’s Stone. lades regularly won by Sunset The Speak of the Place Vol. 11; No 4 Spring 2017 The Story Continues—Lewis Grassic Gibbon in Germany Since Hans Petersen´s translation guage with which it is described. know from letters from Volk und of A Scots Quair in the 1970s The essays (’The Land’, ‘Glasgow’, Welt to Ray Mitchell’s West Ger- which was published by the East ‘Aberdeen’) and narratives man agent. But the result – as in German Verlag Volk und Welt and (’Greenden’, ‘Sim’, ‘Smeddum’, the case of the previous transla- successfully went through three ‘Clay’) are monuments to both the tion – is remarkable, since the editions, there has been no trace Mearns’s beauty and the crofter’s colloquial precision of the German of Gibbon´s works in the German trauchle – the Scots term remains adaptation captures the vitality of book market until recently. untranslated in the epilogue – says the multitudinous original speech This long drought ended Kinsky. acts and arrests the German when in 2016 the Berlin-based The order of the prose reader’s interest in the place and Guggolz Verlag, specialising in pieces is haphazard: each chapter the characters. the translation and publication of Instead of the original italicised lesser known literature from coun- dialogues, however, the German tries marginalised by mainstream version prefers inverted commas. publishers, brought out Szenen A map of Scotland, highlighting aus Schottland. The volume con- the Northeast, and sparse but taining four of Gibbon’s short sto- useful annotations in the essays ries and three of his essays is an provide a good service to the Ger- abridged version of MacDiarmid’s man reader. If there was to be a and Gibbon’s co-production Scot- series of published German trans- tish Scene or the Intelligent Man’s lations of Gibbon’s prose, which is Guide to Albyn (1934), here taken very much to be hoped for, it is from Smeddum – A Lewis Grassic recommended that the names and Gibbon Anthology, Edited and terms to be annotated in the text Introduced by Valentina Bold should be marked. This would (Edinburgh: Canongate Classics, improve the quality of the annota- The tasteful cover of the recent 2001). Guggolz Verlag LGG volume tions. Esther Kinsky, the translator, points to the loss resulting is preceded by illustrations (by Va- A full analysis of this volume and from the omission of MacDiar- leria Gordeew), five of which show other projected foreign language mid’s voice and other of Gibbon’s diverse stone walls characteristic translations of Gibbon’s work will texts in her epilogue, but affirms of the region. As with Hans Pe- be featured in the autumn edition that the prose selected for her tersen’s 1970s translations, the of the Speak. translation ‘emphasises the varie- critical mind wonders how the pre- ty of Mitchell’s nuances and regis- sent translator would cope with the Introduction: Prof. Dr Uwe ters’ (p. 161, translation mine, linguistic traps of Braid Scots as Zagratzki of the University of Ol- U.Z.) and gives evidence of his one example and Gibbon’s collec- denburg in Germany, a welcome critical and deep concern with the tive narrator and his unique Scots contributor to the Speak in the Northeast of Scotland and its peo- spoken speech for another in the past, hails a new German transla- ple. Kinsky draws our attention to act of translating into a different tion of Grassic Gibbon. the unspoiled beauty of the cultural and linguistic context. One Mearns and Gibbon’s also wonders if Esther Kinsky met ‘unconventional and melodi- as many difficulties in terms of lan- ous’ (p. 162, translation U.Z.) language as Petersen did, as we Theguage Speak with of the which Place it is described. The essays (‘ The Vol.Land 11 ’,; No‘Glasgow 4 ’, ‘ Aberdeen ’) and the narratives (‘ Greenden Page 2 ’, Quarter-Centenary Celebrations at Centre In a departure from the celebratory momentum going ad- The new season celebrates the normal schedule, Jim Brown pref- mirably, with the new departure of happy occasion of the twenty-fifth aced his address with a timely a free Easter Egg Hunt arranged anniversary of the founding of the viewing of the Centre’s audio-visual on Sunday 16 April, designed to Grassic Gibbon Centre in 1992 – a programme outlining the life and cater for the needs of local fami- grand achievement for a self- work of James Leslie Mitchell/ Lew- lies. financing charity in these times of is Grassic Gibbon, featuring read- The rest of the year prom- austerity, when all such institutions, ings by late lamented Centre direc- ises a host of goodies for all com- particularly those relating to culture tor Arch Middleton – the archetypal ers. On Thursday 25 May, follow- and the arts, are committed to a voice of the Arbuthnott community ing on from last year’s highly suc- permanent struggle for survival. celebrated by Grassic Gibbon in his cessful evening with Dons and In a vigorous demonstra- most famous works. In his ad- Scotland legend Willie Miller (who tion of the Centre’s enduring health, dress, Jim Brown demonstrated the it transpired actually owns Leslie season 2017 features a rich pro- empathy of the Fettercairn-born Mitchell’s former digs in Aber- gramme of events extending insider, providing a comprehensive deen’s St Mary’s Place in his throughout the year, drawn up to summary of the extraordinary life of property portfolio), Andy Hall commemorate its twenty-fifth birth- James Leslie Mitchell, from the hosts the second of an occasional day in suitably lavish style. most humble origins in Northeast series entitled ‘Football in Ques- The season began with a tion’ with former Scotland manag- bang with the customary Grassic er Craig Brown, a shrewd football Gibbon Supper on Saturday 25 analyst and a highly knowledgea- March, with Centre Chairman of ble commentator on the beautiful Directors Jim Brown MBE passing game. The annual summer Arts the mantle of Master of Ceremonies and Crafts Festival takes place at over to Centre Director Andy Hall the Centre throughout July, while for the evening, in exchange for The Current Board of Directors, together the following month’s Mearns assuming the responsibility for de- with manager Isabella Williamson , as the Grassic Gibbon Centre enters its quarter- Connections Festival amongst livery of the keynote address on centenary other activities includes the Bus such an august occasion. The sell- farming communities right through Tour focusing on churches with out audience, comprising old faces to his all too brief spell spent as a stained glass. On a more literary and new, was treated to a suitably full-time writer in his final home in note, celebrated Scottish nature gregarious evening’s entertainment Welwyn Garden City. Due atten- writer Jim Crumley is due to ap- laced with fine food and drink tion was paid to the central planks pear at the Centre on 14 Septem- served up by the assiduous Centre of Leslie Mitchell’s legacy: his com- ber, forensic scientist Professor staff, with Andy Hall proving equal passion, his wit and humour, his Sue Black and Granite Noir crime to the unenviable task of filling Jim almost uncanny understanding of writer Stuart McBride are booked Brown’s sturdy brogues as wittily human nature.

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