Tag Archives: Literature

A bestiary of Buendias

Posted on 29/04/2023 by alasdairflett

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is unlike any other book I’ve read. It took me some time to get into though. I wasn’t hooked by the first page by any means. There was time to tune … Continue reading →

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A rose is a rose is a rose

Posted on 20/07/2021 by alasdairflett

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco is presented to the reader as the text of an authentic medieval manuscript form the fourteenth century. Its author’s love for the time period radiates from every page; beyond passion, beyond fascination, … Continue reading →

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Remembering Alasdair Gray

Posted on 05/01/2020 by alasdairflett

Artistic blooms tend to be triggered by seismic technological or political change. Where the first Scottish literary “renaissance” arrived as the result of the brutal shock to romantic sentiments the First World War had dealt, a new flurry of writing … Continue reading →

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Nynorn and beyond

Posted on 30/07/2019 by alasdairflett

Orkney: an interesting case study for historical linguists In the following, I’ll discuss my passion for historical linguistics and how this discipline is especially interesting in relation to Orkney and the now-extinct language of Norn. Firstly, I’d like to explain … Continue reading →

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Burger flippin’

Posted on 28/08/2018 by alasdairflett

You find me at the end of a month in the role of grillmaster at Eusa’s Gilded Garden burger outlet. After an unshaven dressinggowned week or so with a short intermission in Stirling for my brother’s brass band course concert … Continue reading →

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Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Flett

Posted on 25/02/2018 by alasdairflett

Ah, Sunday. A fine day for reflection and calm, quiet contemplation. In Germany a brief respite from consumerism (also perhaps an inconvenience). Additionally, and purely coincidentally, you understand, optimal for the garnering of likes as the weekend’s accomplishments tie together … Continue reading →

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The man o’ independent mind: who was Robert Burns?

Posted on 25/01/2018 by alasdairflett

Robert Burns is the National Poet of Scotland – a phrase I use to introduce the most important figure of Scottish literature. This led, after about the third repetition to the question of: Why does not England then have a … Continue reading →

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Meme Magic – Oh look he’s getting a bit political

Posted on 18/11/2016 by alasdairflett

The world has changed since when I met you last, Forces have gathered, grown and made their mark, Meme magic brewed an unsavoury broth, and left us Trump – God-Emperor of Earth. Oh, and also I became an editor at … Continue reading →

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2015: Year in Review

Posted on 18/12/2015 by alasdairflett

What happened in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Fifteen? From a broad perspective, Scots had to come to terms with the fact that independence had been put on hold for at least a “generation.” Bumper stickers were … Continue reading →

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