Download or read book Caledonia Dreaming written by John Kv Eunson and published by Headline. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: So what have the Scots ever done for the world then? Well, most people will know about John Logie Baird (inventor of television), Alexander Graham Bell (the telephone) and Alexander Fleming (penicillin). But what about Alexander Cummings from Edinburgh? It would be hard to imagine getting through the day without using his invention - the flushing toilet. Or how about William Cullen from Glasgow? There would be a lot of sour milk (and warm beer) without the first man to demonstrate artificial refrigeration. And then there's Alexander Bain from Caithness? Can anyone really imagine a world without his invention - the fax machine? The list goes on and on; Janet Keillor from Dundee (marmalade), James Clerk Maxwell from Edinburgh (radio waves), John Reith from Stonehaven (the BBC), James Black from Uddingston (beta-blockers) James Bowman Lindsay from Angus (light bulbs), James Goodfellow from Paisley (the ATM), Dugald Clerk from Glasgow (the two-stroke engine), Alexander McRae from the Kyle of Lochalsh (speedos), James Blyth from Kincardineshire (the first electricity producing wind turbine). Caledonia Dreaming tells the often frankly unbelievable stories behind these discoveries and looks at how they, along with the writers, philosophers, philanthropists and bankers of Scotland have left their unique, indelible mark on the modern world.
Download or read book Caledonian Dreaming written by Gerry Hassan and published by Luath Press Ltd. This book was released on 2014-04-05 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A different Scotland is possible. Caledonian Dreaming: The Quest for a Different Scotland offers a penetrating and original way forward for Scotland beyond the current independence debate. It identifies the myths of modern Scotland, describes what they say and why they need to be seen as myths. Hassan argues that Scotland is already changing, as traditional institutions and power decline and new forces emerge. He outlines a prospectus for Scotland to become more democratic and to embrace radical and far-reaching change. REVIEWS An intelligent, brave and much needed contribution to the debate around the referendum in Scotland. This, along with other great contributions, like Lesley Riddoch's Blossom, are hugely important to the general discourse and much needed research into the country we have been, the country we now are and the country we could become. ELAINE C. SMITH, actress and campaigner. This is a remarkable book - balanced and brave, insightful and incisive, intelligently blending the personal and the political. Whatever the referendum result, if Scotland really wants to be 'the best place in the world to grow up', Gerry Hassan's suggestions for 'a new democracy' would be an excellent starting point. SUE PALMER, author, Toxic Childhood Gerry Hassan sets out to challenge the lazy presumptions that are around about Scotland and its future. He invites the reader to think and think again. STUART COSGROVE, broadcaster. Understanding that the old stories we tell ourselves influence the new stories we go on to write, Gerry Hassan has crafted a brilliant book unpacking the political narratives that have shaped modern Scotland in order to create a space to imagine anew. A book about Scotland important to anyone, anywhere, dreaming a new world. STEPHEN DUNCOMBE, author, Dream: Re-imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy The independence referendum changes what is possible regardless of its outcome. It forces people in Scotland to confront far more directly the nature of their country rather than continue to accept the myths that build up when there is no option to go it alone. In Caledonia Dreaming Gerry Hassan skillfully traverses these key myths to show that, if Scotland were to gain independence, it would have to confront internal realities that were hidden when Westminster could be blamed for so much. If the Scots prove the bookies wrong, if events over the summer of 2014 turn so that independence is achieved, then this book demonstrates that the new Scotland will be further from many possible idealised European utopias than many nationalists had ever imagined. It is a key contribution to the debate no matter where you stand. DANNY DORLING, author, Injustice: Why Social Justice Persists, Professor of Human Geography, Oxford University. With one bound Scotland could be free! How tempting that looks to the progressive-minded on both sides of the border. If only it were that easy. Gerry Hassan drills down to deeper reasons why the many dysfunctions of British democracy could dog an independent Scotland too. With a non-partisan but beady eye on society both sides of the border, in this clever book here are tougher questions to consider than a mere Yes/No. POLLY TOYNBEE, writer and journalist, The Guardian
Download or read book The Cambridge History of British Theatre written by Jane Milling and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-12-09 with total page 597 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description
Download or read book Crime Justice and Society in Scotland written by Hazel Croall and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-08-20 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crime, Justice and Society in Scotland is an edited collection of chapters from leading experts that builds and expands upon the success of the 2010 publication Criminal Justice in Scotland to offer a comprehensive and critical overview of Scottish criminal justice and its relation to wider social inequalities and social justice. This new volume considers criminal justice in the context of the Scottish politics and the recent referendum on independence and it includes a discussion of the complex relationships between criminal justice and devolution, nationalism and nation building. There are new chapters on research and policy, sectarianism, gangs, victims and justice, organised crime and crimes of the powerful in Scotland, as well as chapters reflecting on the use of electronic monitoring, desistance and practice, and major changes in the structure of Scottish policing. Comprehensive and topical, this book is essential reading for academics and students in the fields of criminal justice, criminology, law, social science and social policy. It will also be of interest to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, civil servants and politicians.
Download or read book Gone Again written by Doug Johnstone and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2013-02-26 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'It's just to say that no-one has come to pick Nathan up from school, and we were wondering if there was a problem of some kind?' As Mark Douglas photographs a pod of whales stranded in the waters off Edinburgh's Portobello Beach, he is called by his son's school: his wife, Lauren, hasn't turned up to collect their son. Calm at first, Mark collects Nathan and takes him home but as the hours slowly crawl by he increasingly starts to worry. With brilliantly controlled reveals, we learn some of the painful secrets of the couple's shared past, not least that it isn't the first time Lauren has disappeared. And as Mark struggles to care for his son and shield him from the truth of what's going on, the police seem dangerously short of leads. That is, until a shocking discovery...
Download or read book Performing National Identity written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National identity is not some naturally given or metaphysically sanctioned racial or territorial essence that only needs to be conceptualised or spelt out in discursive texts; it emerges from, takes shape in, and is constantly defined and redefined in individual and collective performances. It is in performances—ranging from the scenarios of everyday interactions to ‘cultural performances’ such as pageants, festivals, political manifestations or sports, to the artistic performances of music, dance, theatre, literature, the visual and culinary arts and more recent media—that cultural identity and a sense of nationhood are fashioned. National identity is not an essence one is born with but something acquired in and through performances. Particularly important here are intercultural performances and transactions, and that not only in a colonial and postcolonial dimension, where such performative aspects have already been considered, but also in inner-European transactions. ‘Englishness’ or ‘Britishness’ and Italianità, the subject of this anthology, are staged both within each culture and, more importantly, in joint performances of difference across cultural borders. Performing difference highlights differences that ‘make a difference’; it ‘draws a line’ between self and other—boundary lines that are, however, constantly being redrawn and renegotiated, and remain instable and shifting.
Download or read book Rewriting Medea written by Marianna Pugliese and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2013 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The complexity of the mother-children relationship, the problems of maternal loss, inordinate erotic love and betrayal, along with the need for a woman to affirm her own identity against every patriarchal oppression, arguably make Medea one of the most popular myths re-enacted by contemporary women writers. Toni Morrison and Liz Lochhead turn to it for the freedom of creating narratives that offer both victimized and empowered portrayals of women, and exploit the key figure of problematic motherhood to invert its canonical tropes. The role of classic appropriation as a counter-hegemonic discourse demonstrates the possibilities of classical literature for voicing the concerns of the marginalized, and in such light shows the connection between classicism and female, racial and cultural empowerment.
Download or read book While Homer Roared written by Basil Wentworth and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2007-10 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My aim in publishing these little jewels has been twofold: to vent some of the outrageous puns and other wordplay that keeps invading my mind, and to show the world that a limerick can be fun without being "dirty". To quote from the introductory section of the book: "these limericks are clean. For the most part, squeaky clean. Although a mild double entendre does creep in now and then, if you are looking for a rich mudhole of salacious or scatological innuendo to wallow in, these are not for you." Read them, and enjoy!
Download or read book At the Sharp End Uncovering the Work of Five Leading Dramatists written by Peter Billingham and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2007-11-05 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What value does theatre have in Britain at the beginning of the twenty-first century? How has theatre responded to the challenge of remaining relevant in the media-saturated world of today? These are the questions that underpin this stimulating study of some of the leading dramatists of contemporary British theatre. At the Sharp End sets the scene examining how the forces that created a revolution in theatre fifty years ago have been replaced by a new wave of political and social issues. It goes on to explore the ways in which five key writers have sought to reflect and wrestle with the changing character of modern Britain. The work of David Edgar, David Greig, Mark Ravenhill, Tanika Gupta and Tim Etchells' company Forced Entertainment is considered, with recent plays examined in detail, an interview with each writer; and suggestions of other writers and plays for reading and comparison. At the Sharp End provides the perfect companion for anyone wanting to understand the changing face of contemporary drama and the writers whose work is making an impact on our stages today.
Download or read book Edinburgh Companion to Scottish Drama written by Ian Brown and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2011-05-16 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ideal guide for students and theatre-lovers alike, the Companion explores the longstanding and vibrant Scottish dramatic tradition and the important developments in Scottish dramatic writing and theatre over the last hundred years.
Download or read book Billy Wonderful written by Nick Leather and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-12-04 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A programme text edition published to coincide with the world premiere at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, on 12 March 2009. Billy is in the squad and it's wonderful. He's down the wing and he's flying. He doesn't believe in much, but he believes in this ... in football. As the Blues and the Reds come out to play, it's D-Day for Billy ... Derby Day. But in the scramble for success, can Billy keep his head or will he fall foul of fame and fortune? Nick Leather, one of the North West's most prominent young playwrights, brings us a fast-paced coming of age story pulsing with all the excitement and physicality of Match Day.
Download or read book The Theatre of David Greig written by Clare Wallace and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-08-29 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Greig has been described as 'one of the most interesting and adventurous British dramatists of his generation' (Daily Telegraph) and 'one of the most intellectually stimulating dramatists around' (Guardian). Since he began writing for theatre in the early nineties, his work has been both copious and remarkably varied, defying neat generalisations or attempts to pigeon-hole his work. Besides his original plays, he has adapated classics, is co-founder of the Suspect Culture Theatre Group and is currently Dramaturge for the National Theatre of Scotland. This Critical Companion provides an analytical survey of his work, from his early plays such as Europe and The Architect through to more recent works Damascus, Dunsinane and Ramallah; it also considers the plays produced with Suspect Culture and his work for young audiences. As such it is the first book to provide a critical account of the full variety of his work and will appeal to students and fans of contemporary British theatre. Clare Wallace provides a detailed analysis of a broad selection of plays and their productions, reviews current discourses about his work and offers a framework for enquiry. The Companion features an interview with David Greig and a further three essays by leading academics offering a variety of critical perspectives.
Download or read book Twenty first century fiction written by Daniel Lea and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2016-11-21 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers readings of five of the most interesting and original voices to have emerged in Britain since the millennium as they tackle the challenges of portraying the new century. Through close readings of the work of Ali Smith, Andrew O'Hagan, Tom McCarthy, Sarah Hall and Jon McGregor, Daniel Lea opens a window onto the formal and thematic concerns that characterise a literary landscape troubled by both familiar and unfamiliar predicaments. These include questions about the meaning of humanness in an age of digital intercourse; about the need for a return to authenticity in the wake of postmodernism; and about the dislocation of self from the other under neoliberal individualism. By relating its readings of these authors to the wider shifts in contemporary literary criticism, this book offers in-depth analysis of important landmarks of recent fiction and an introduction to the challenges of understanding the literature of our time.
Download or read book The Case for Scottish Independence written by Ben Jackson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-07-09 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scottish nationalism is a powerful movement in contemporary politics, yet the goal of Scottish independence emerged surprisingly recently into public debate. The origins of Scottish nationalism lie not in the medieval battles for Scottish statehood, the Acts of Union, the Scottish Enlightenment, or any other traditional historical milestone. Instead, an influential separatist Scottish nationalism began to take shape only in the 1970s and achieved its present ideological maturity in the course of the 1980s and 1990s. The nationalism that emerged from this testing period of Scottish history was unusual in that it demanded independence not to defend a threatened ancestral culture but as the most effective way to promote the agenda of the left. This accessible and engaging account of the political thought of Scottish nationalism explores how the arguments for Scottish independence were crafted over some fifty years by intellectuals, politicians and activists, and why these ideas had such a seismic impact on Scottish and British politics in the 2014 independence referendum.
Download or read book Theatre and Performance in Contemporary Scotland written by Trish Reid and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Greig Plays 1 written by David Greig and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2013-06-06 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first collection of plays of one of Scotland's best-known contemporary dramatists EUROPE is set in a railway station at an unnamed border town where old and new Europeans weave a tale of love, loss and longing. "Fierce, compassionate, mightily ambitious drama...there is the sharp, analytic intelligence, the crackling inventiveness of a real writer buzzing about this gripping play" Scotsman THE ARCHITECT charts the rise and fall of Leo Black, once an idealistic and idolised designer, whose magnificent visions are now crumbling, along with his family, in the light of grubby reality. "Provides convincing evidence of David Greig's confident transition from a dramatist of promise to one of stature" Independent. Lyrical, soulful and darkly funny, THE COSMONAUT'S LAST MESSAGE weaves together the stories of a fraught Scottish couple whose TV is on the blink, a Norwegian UN peace negotiator, a young prostitute, a French UFO researcher, a pregnant police woman and two forgotten Cosmonauts who sadly orbit the planet."The most important playwright to have emerged north of the border in years" Scotsman
Download or read book The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary British Playwrights written by Aleks Sierz and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2011-10-17 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary British Playwrights is an authoritative guide to the work of twenty-five playwrights who have risen to prominence since the 1980s. Written by an international team of scholars, it will be invaluable to anyone interested in, studying or teaching contemporary drama. Among the many playwrights whose work is examined are Sarah Daniels, Terry Johnson, Martin Crimp, Sarah Kane, Anthony Neilson, Mark Ravenhill, Simon Stephens, Debbie Tucker Green, Tanika Gupta and Richard Bean. Each essay features: A biographical sketch and introduction to the playwright A discussion of their most important plays An analysis of their stylistic and thematic traits, the critical reception and their place in the discourses of British theatre A bibliography of texts and critical material
