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Margaret Elphinstone |
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Welcome to the Website of Margaret ElphinstoneMargaret Elphinstone has published eight novels as well as short stories and poetry. Her fiction is mostly historical and is characterised by her portrayal of people on journeys to places on the edge – islands, frontiers - where cultures and ideas meet and evolve. "The Gathering Night" wins acclaim from reviewersThe Gathering Night, set among the hunter-gatherers of Mesolithic Scotland, is a story of conflict, loss, love, adventure and devastating natural disaster. This pre-historical novel is set deep in our stone-age past, but resonates as a parable of our troubled planet 8000 years on."This beguiling historical novel imagines the inner and emotional lives of Mesolithic-era humans …… Elphinstone's formidable depiction of nature is the greatest strength of this atmospheric novel." Anita Sethi, Independent on Sunday "...a meticulously detailed re-enactment of what life may well have been like in Mesolithic Scotland." Rebecca McQuillan, The Sunday Herald "...the most telling achievement of The Gathering Night is that it persuades us to accept its entirely different value-system without a qualm, and even to regret that humanity ever thought of swapping the hunter's spear for the tiller's spade." Adam Thorpe, The Guardian "...gripping in terms of plot...and a hugely evocative exploration of time and place." Doug Johnstone The List Read the reviews in full Read more about researching a Mesolithic novel. The Gathering Night is published by Canongate Books. ISBN 9781847672889 'The Gathering Night' is being published in Italian and German. 2010 EVENTS30 April & 1 MayArgyll's Stone Age - Truth and Tall Tales organised by Kilmartin House Museum. Friday 30 April. 7.00 p.m. Campbeltown Museum. Margaret Elphinstone will talk on researching and writing a novel set in pre-historical times. Saturday 1 May. 2.00 p.m. Kilmartin House Museum. Margaret Elphinstone will lead a workshop on writing historical novels. Saturday 1 May. 7.00 p.m. Glebe Cairn Restaurant. Margaret Elphinstone will be a guest speaker at a literary dinner. September 4 & 5: The Islay Book Festival Margaret Elphinstone will be appearing at the Islay Book Festival. Look out for programme details to be published shortly. RECENT PUBLICATIONS Walking the Edges Margaret Elphinstone's Walking the Edges appears in A Wilder Vein, an anthology of literary non-fiction focusing on people and wild places, edited by Linda Cracknell and published by Two Ravens Press. Hear Margaret Elphinstone talking about winter writing on Radio 4's 'Excess Baggage' programme OTHER NOVELS IN PRINTAll of Margaret Elphinstone's novels are in print.Light, Voyageurs, Hy Brasil and The Sea Road are all published by Canongate Books. The Sea Road appears in '100 Best Scottish Books of All Time' produced by List Magazine. Gato is published by Sandstone Press for new and emergent adult readers. Margaret Elphinstone's three earliest novels, Islanders, A Sparrow's Flight and The Incomer or Clachanpluck, have all been republished by Kennedy & Boyd. EDINBURGH HISTORY OF SCOTTISH LITERATUREMargaret Elphinstone's writing is described as "assured, attractive, innovative" in 'The Edinburgh History of Scottish Literature'. Ian Campbell, in his chapter: ‘Disorientation of Place, Time and ‘Scottishness’: Conan Doyle, Linklater, Gunn, Mackay Brown and Elphinstone’ says:"Her work – assured, attractive, innovative – has the attraction of rarely offering the same pleasures twice, though certain themes recur. These include interest in the historic and mythical past, the Norse and Scandinavian invasions and influences on Scotland, a perceptible interest in the fantastic, a strong feeling for nature...... "Elphinstone’s characters often travel over huge distances: her world is one of expanding vision, an attempt to connect to a half-understood natural world, to understand the perplexities of human characters in affection as well as danger and stress. She has mastered the short story (An Apple From a Tree, 1991) and full-scale fantasy (Hy Brasil 2002). Voyageurs (2003) is a confident and convincing excursion into those who explored and settled eastern Canada, the settlers who fought climate, indigenous people and misunderstanding at home to carve out lives in a really new world. From: Ian Brown, The Edinburgh History of Scottish Literature Volume 3: Modern Transformations: New Identities (from 1918) Edinburgh University Press 2006. Contacts and LinksJOIN THE SHRINK CAMPAIGN! You can help save paper, save trees and save water. Find out more about the Shrink Campaign and make your pledge. |
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