Books, Niki Boyle

Scottish festivals 2013 - An A-Z of the best summer festivals

The best festivals of music, film, food, cycling and more taking place in Scotland 2013

When it comes to festivals, Scotland really doesn’t hold back. From Orkney to Byres Road, muddy fields to stately homes, the growing number of them cater to all tastes, styles and budgets. Our A-Z guide profiles Scotland’s best summer jamborees, the…

Stephen Collins – The Gigantic Beard that was Evil

Collins’ graphic novel inspects the havoc wreaked on a neat community by unruly facial hair

On the bland, egg-shaped island of Here, Dave lives a comfortably dull life: by day he performs a data-processing job; by night he sketches the view from the windows of his suburban home. Like the other inhabitants of Here, Dave is wary of change and…

Hot 100 2012: 10-2

John Tiffany, Andy Murray and Luke Fowler among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 29-20

Chvrches, Cora Bissett and Grant Morrison among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 59-50

Billy Connolly, Optimo and Kevin Bridges among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 69-60

Rachel Sermanni, Limmy and Peter Capaldi among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 89-80

Daniel Sloss, Canongate and Julie Fowlis among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

Hot 100 2012: 100-90

JK Rowling, Tilda Swinton and Andrew Fairlie among Scotland's hottest cultural contributors in 2012

The Hot 100 is our list of Scotland’s 100 hottest individuals and groups who’ve made a splash this year, from comic book writers to comedians, artists to actors. If they've contributed to Scotland's cultural landscape in 2012, you'll find them here.

John Gordon Sinclair on taking the plunge into crime fiction

Actor discusses debut novel Seventy Times Seven at Edinburgh Book Festival

On approaching your first novel after decades spent working in another industry, it stands to reason that your job will influence the writing. It makes sense then that John Gordon Sinclair’s debut, Seventy Times Seven, has a cinematic quality to it…

Russell Kane talks pop music, Indian food and bad hair - interview

The comic and author answers our questions ahead of his appearances at Book Festival and Fringe

First record you ever bought ‘I Should Be So Lucky.’ Last extravagant purchase you made My new Prius. First film you saw that really moved you Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. Last lie you told It won’t hurt, I promise. First…

Unbound at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

Night-time strand of off-the-page experimentation featuring Sarah Hall and Jenni Fagan

As wonderful as the Edinburgh International Book Festival is – and believe us, it is wonderful – the leafy confines of Charlotte Square Gardens, the village fete-style white tents and the hordes of latte-sipping Guardianistas can sometimes make the…

Neil Forsyth: Bringing Dundee to the masses

Forsyth presents his new book at the Edinburgh Book Festival

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Neil Forsyth has a vendetta against con men. Among his published works are a biography of teenage scam artist Elliot Castro, an exposé on fraudulent psychics and Delete This at Your Peril, a collection of email…

Swiss writer, philosopher and documentarian Alain de Botton - interview

First record you ever bought Genesis by Genesis. Last extravagant purchase you made An Easter holiday to Istanbul. First film you saw that really moved you The Jungle Book. Last lie you told That I had read a book I hadn’t. First movie…

On the Road trailer unveiled

Jack Kerouac's road novel adapted for the screen by Walter Salles, starring Sam Riley

The trailer for Walter Salles' On the Road has been unveiled, featuring Control's Sam Riley, Tron: Legacy's Garret Hedlund and Twilight's Kristen Stewart. The original novel was written by Jack Kerouac, and is seen as a definitive text for the beat…

Electric Man

A patchy, if well intentioned, Edinburgh-set comic comedy

(12A tbc) 98min Shot in Edinburgh on a micro-budget, comic shop comedy Electric Man declares its intentions from the off: this is to be no social realist kitchen sink drama, typical of the UK film industry, but rather a light-hearted love-letter to…

The Hot 100 2011: 100-50

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

100: Gordon Ferris. Kilmarnock crime author makes good. The already packed Scottish crime writing field has finally found a bit of elbow room for another burgeoning talent. Joining the likes of Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid and co is this Ayrshire-born…

Hot 100 2011 - No. 49 to 1

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

The Hot 100 is the definitive list of Scottish creative talent. From fashion designers to performance artists, everyone who has made a sizeable splash in 2011 has a place in this countdown. It’s for people who’ve created a buzz, but it’s also about…

Top 5: Philip K Dick adaptations

Featuring Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly and The Adjustment Bureau

Philip K Dick (fun fact: the K stands for Kindred) is hailed as one of the finest science fiction writers in history. He never achieved commercial success in his lifetime: he died following a stroke in 1982, three months before Blade Runner - the first…

Travel theme for 2010 Scottish International Storytelling Festival

Japanese strand and Festival-on-Tour among themes

Following on from 2009’s ‘Homeland’ theme, which explored the tales of the Scottish diaspora, the ‘Eastern Routes’ strand of this year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival surveys storytelling from India and beyond, including the effects…

Julian Barnes - Pulse

(Jonathan Cape) Julian Barnes’ third short story collection is divided into two books. The first deals with modern, middle-class folks in various states of relationship, from newly-single men trying to start over again, to couples conversing at dinner…

The Hot 100 2010 - Mark Millar, Kevin Bridges and Alasdair Gray take top 3 spots

Our annual chart of the top creatives in Scotland

The Hot 100 is a list of Scots who’ve made a sizeable creative splash in 2010. It includes musicians, artists, writers, actors, fashion designers, technological innovators, shop owners, festival directors, record label heads and one mad cyclist.

Looking back on 25 years of commentary on Scottish culture

25 years of The List

A lot has happened in 25 years of Scottish culture. Niki Boyle gives a blow-by-blow account of the major events

Alan Warner and Howard Jacobson amongst nominees for Man Booker Prize

2010 literary award longlist announced

The longlist of contenders for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2010 were announced yesterday. The prize of £50 000 is awarded to the best full-length novel by a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or the Commonwealth, is written in English, and is…

Work by photographer Chris Close returns to 2010 Edinburgh Book Festival

Portraits of visiting authors appear in Charlotte Square for second year

Chris Close, the photographer behind last year's successful 'almost live' photography display at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, is set to return to Charlotte Square this year with a new series of portraits of visiting authors. Visiting…