January 2007: Highland Year of Culture

This year, 2007, Scotland celebrates Highland Year of Culture with events all up and down the country and overseas. The relationship between the the Highlands and the Lowlands has not always been easy – but then, many countries seem to divide into north and south with differing cultures, customs, and people: the North being characterised by a certain reserve and the South with a more folksy, laidback approach (USA, France, Italy...). It's the opposite in Scotland: the stereotypical Highlander is laidback, a bit wild, a bit lawless etc while the Lowlander is seen as more hardworking, less given to busting into song at the drop of a hat, and less drouthy. Let's hope Highland 2007 begins to dispel some of these myths. See http://www.highland2007.com for events and information on what's happening throughout the year.

Books-wise, there is a huge amount of stuff out there on the region. It still remains one of the wildest and most beautiful parts of the UK so wildlife, photography and walking books figure prominently. On Culture and history there are books on James Macpherson and Ossian, on the Clearances, on the Jacobite rebellions, on Gaelic song, on Glencoe, on the Loch Ness Monster - the list goes on. For a one-volume book on representations of the Highlands and the Gaels, I would strongly recommend getting a hold of a copy of the now out-of-print From the Land: As an Fhearann, edited by Christopher Carrell and Malcolm Maclean (1986).

Here's my pick of the new books on the Highlands to look out for in the first half of 2007:

Hamish Henderson - A Life: Timothy Neat

Hamish Henderson was a poet and pioneer in the field of Scottish folksong. Born in Blairgowrie in 1919, he served in the Second World War and after the war, joined the newly-formed School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh where he became a collector and translator. He had a great affinity with Highland storytellers and with the travellers who lived and toured around the Highlands; he learned Gaelic, and wrote poetry and song himself. One of Scotland's great polymaths, he was also great company and is sorely missed by many.

Fonn's Duthchas: compiled by James Hunter

Published to coincide with Highland 2007, 'The Scottish Highlands' contains a catalogue of items from the 'Fonn's Duthchas/Land and Legacy Exhibition' and a narrative by well-known writer James Hunter. Topics covered include land ownership issues, religion, clans and clearances, sport and leisure, Gaelic and the oral tradition, the landscape, and the Highlands and Islands today.

Kidnapped: Robert Louis Stevenson

The story of David Balfour and his encounters with the Jacobite, Alan Breck Stewart in Appin, in the Highlands, has been revitalised and brought to a new audience. One of Stevenson's most popular stories, Kidnapped has been given the graphic novel treatment by the respected Alan Grant and Campbell (Cam) Kennedy, best know for their work on Judge Dredd. A stunning and colourful rendering of the tale will appear in a variety of formats in the coming months with a promotional campaign backed by Edinburgh City of Literature.

Tales and Travels of a School Inspector: John Wilson

From a graphic novel to this account of Highlands and Islands schools as seen through the eye of a school inspector in the latter half of the 19th century. First published in 1928, this is a delightful and rather moving historical document.

Monty's Highlanders: Patrick Delaforce

This volume focuses on the most famous infantry division that fought with the British Army in World War II, the 51st Highland Division.

The Highland Clearances: Eric Richards

The Clearances is one of those periods in Scottish history that continues to divide historians. Richards, a historian, attempts to offer a more balanced analysis of events. In recent years, more credence is being given to a view of Scotland-wide clearances, rather than placing an emphasis solely on the Highlands, but the persistence of an older way of life in the Highlands into the latter half of the 20th century makes the Clearances more vivid and real. In folk memory in the Highlands, the events still loom large, and the remains of ruined townships are clearly visible.

Highland Vampire: Hannah Howell, Adrienne Basso and Deborah Raleigh.

On a lighter note, I just had to choose this title, comprising three stories in one book. To quote from the blurb: 'Suspecting her of murdering her husband, Callum, on their wedding night, Maev McCloskey's clan has banished her to a remote tower. There, she dreams of her dead love - and the passion they never knew in life. But soon she wonders if the seductive, mysterious Callum of her sleeping mind is real - and, if he is, whether joining him in his world would be an act of courage... or of madness...'