Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, 10-13 August 2011

USHERED in by bright and enticing posters in the style of Penguin books, the 8th Inverness Book Festival was an exciting medley of writers from a huge range of genres. From Scottish historians, to popular crime writers and children’s novelists, the schedule suited a huge range of tastes.

Kicking off Wednesday evening’s events was former teacher and MSP Rob Gibson, whose latest book Highland Cowboys explores the history of the thousands of Scots who emigrated to America from the 18th century onwards. With them, they brought several centuries’ worth of farming knowledge, which Gibson claims laid the foundations of the American cattle culture mythologized on the silver screen.

It’s a specialist subject, and possibly the only time in my life in which I’ve heard such a question as ‘Can you tell me whether dogs were used in North America to herd sheep during the 19th century, as I’m particularly interested in the history of the Collie? ’ answered in an enthusiastic and in-depth manner.

John Byrne (photo johnbyrneart.com)

However, Gibson, clad in denim jeans and cowboy boots for the occasion, was a talented speaker, and held his meagre yet keen audience’s attention by proving that Cowboy culture was not merely forged by rugged, Clint Eastwood types, but by families who inhabited the very Glens that we live in now.

Taking on the theme of Scottish heritage from a rather different perspective was Brian Denoon. The local author was interviewed by Kit Fraser about his 2009 memoir Do You Say Sir to Your Father?, which documents Denoon’s life in Abriachan and Fort Augustus during the 1950s and 1960s. This event had particular appeal to those from the local area, who might have been familiar with some of the places and oddball characters who appear in Denoon’s tales. His self-deprecating, humorous style put me in mind of authors such as Flann O’Brian or Bill Bryson, who share Denoon’s talent for poking delicate fun at both themselves and the eras they grew up in with wit and insight.

While few members of the audience would be able to recall even the haziest of memories from the era of Denoon’s youth, he evokes this long-gone age with startling clarity. Besides, I was most struck by how much remains unchanged. His tales of caustic school masters, Lutheran ministers and snobbish land-owners can resonate easily into the present day, while the cultural diet of Denoon’s youth, consisting mainly of shinty and whisky, would not look out of place to local boys.

On Friday, Tom Renouf discussed his experiences in the Black Watch during the Second World War with Robert Taylor, editor of the Inverness Courier. While Renouf experienced more profound events during his military service than most do in an entire lifetime, he recounts his memories in a frank manner without a trace of self-pity. Perhaps the most fascinating of all his stories is his account of coming into possession of Himmler’s watch. This was traded for 300 cigarettes shortly after his regiment’s capture of the SS leader at the end of the war in May 1945. As he calmly announced that he had the watch of one of the most evil men in history in his pocket, it was as if a chill swept through the entire audience.

Most interestingly, Renouf is not a great believer in the counselling and rehabilitation programs that modern soldiers receive nowadays. In his words, he has ‘dealt with it by himself’, through his regular involvement in the Highland Division Veteran Association, and eventually, through the publication of his book Black Watch. Considering that many of us have grown up in families with parents and grand-parents who simply never spoke about the war, Renouf’s decision to share his experiences so publicly is a token of great courage.

Saturday’s events included former Nairn resident John Byrne coming to talk about his first foray into children’s writing. Pieced together from bedtime stories told to his children and filled with beautifully painted illustrations, Donald and Benoit: The Story of a Cat and a Boy, tells the adventures had by the two main protagonist’s in a small Scottish seaside town. While this is a book that every small person would be overjoyed to have in their possession, I was disappointed by the fact that it was publicised as a children’s event in the Inverness Book Festival pamphlet. My feelings were doubtless shared by the troupe of bored, fidgeting under fives who were evidently not enthralled by John Byrne and Bryan Beattie’s in depth dialogue on the creative process.

Another spoiler on the event was the inescapable fact that John Byrne is famous, which sadly led to one member of the audience attempting to lead the discussion into more unsavoury territory. Fortunately, Byrne soon put paid to this by sternly announcing that he was here to discuss ‘a children’s book, not some bloody gossip from Renfrew.’ Quite frankly, I’m surprised that this statement wasn’t met with applause. After all, wouldn’t it be refreshing if this attitude was taken with every artist’s work?

Christopher Brookmyre (photo Little, Brown, © Tricia Malley, Ross Gillespie)

The festival was rounded off by crime writer Christopher Brookmyre and former Faith Brothers front man Billy Franks. Brookmyre is a huge fan of Frank’s work, and often quotes his lyrics in his novels. Their set consisted of stories and songs that perfectly complemented each other by way of their wry wit and fluidity. The pair had an incredible chemistry which brought out the best in both their talents – over the course of the performance, Brookmyre’s stories kept getting funnier, while Franks’ playing became better and better.

It was a wonderful surprise to hear Brookmyre reveal a sweet and tentative tenor voice as a counterpart to Franks’ rich, bluesy vocals. While listening to Franks’ singing, it occurred to me how handsomely layered his voice has become from years of performing experience, like a lasagne made audible. I regret to admit, as I expect most of the audience would also have to, that I hadn’t actually heard of him before that night. Unfortunately for him, and the many people who deserve to hear his music, Franks is one of countless artists who has slipped through the net of a brutally fickle industry – he has appeared on every national music programme, but only once.

Brookmyre is his staunchest supporter, and his wish to get his friend’s music noticed has led to collaborations such as this. Crime fiction and acoustic guitar may not seem like the most obvious of pairings, but together, Brookmyre and Franks make it work incredibly well, and will hopefully inspire similar partnerships over a range of genres by doing so. Such a finish to a fantastic week is proof alone that the Inverness Book Festival is eclectic and imaginative enough to rival the best of them.

© Rowan Macfie, 2011

Links

• Inverness Book Festival