18 December 2017
Introducing a new platform to connect the literary scenes of Scotland and India.
While geographically and culturally separated Scotland and India are united by a vast opus of literature, specifically noir fiction.
From Robert Louis Stevenson to Arthur Conan Doyle, Scotland has been the historic home to several literary geniuses. Contemporary Scottish authors are also taking the literary world by storm, as seen in the popularity of works by Graeme Macrae Burnet, Val McDermid and Irvine Welsh.
Indian readers are however largely unaware of the oeuvre. In order to remedy this situation, BEE Books and Bloody Scotland, with support from British Council India and British Council Scotland, Creative Scotland and Scottish Government, have collaborated to launch Bridges Beyond Boundaries.
As the name suggests, the project is focused on making literary connections beyond physical borders. The aims are to bring contemporary Scottish crime writing to Indian readers at a competitive price, and host a number of Scottish authors at the 2018 Kolkata Literature Festival.
This will be a small but efficient step in creating a partnership to develop new literary platforms and should provide the scope for future collaboration. The Scottish titles will contribute to the growth of cultural skills in India and open up a wider variety of contemporary literature.
Digital Writers’ Lab, under Bridges Beyond Boundaries, is an online platform designed to connect laureates from both the countries to discuss and/or write about on a similar topic. Popular Bengali authors and bloggers will be in conversation with their Scottish counterparts, sharing anecdotes about their writing patterns, how to plot an air-tight narrative, how to frame a culprit, the red herring, and answering queries about what influences them and their writing.
Stories and articles on various aspects of crime writing will be simultaneously published to show the similarity or diversity in their handling of a particular literary situation, thus giving readers an insight into the working pattern of their favourite authors.
There are also plans to shoot interviews and record podcasts with authors to help make readers, audiences and upcoming authors familiar with the writing mind-set, and offer a glimpse into the writer’s lab.
Contributions from readers are welcome too. For any suggestions, queries, feedback or if you wish to submit writing, please send an email to the Bridges Beyond Boundaries team.