This Friday will see Scotland’s National Book Town burst into life with the start of the annual Wigtown Book Festival.
There will be famous names, fascinating authors, leading thinkers, writers, politicians, poets and international journalists plus events asking questions including what will be the outcome of the US election and what did the Romans ever do for Galloway and Scotland?
Galloway’s 10-day celebration of all things literary will kick off with a parade of pipers and a firework display, after which the town of less than 1,000 residents will welcome up to 8,000 visitors.
There will be more than 250 events, including the Big Wig children’s programme (and plenty of chances for little ones to meet the clue fluffy Big Wig himself). And the second weekend features a festival-within-a-festival dedicated to food and cookery.
As polls show a tight presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump journalist and presenter Gavin Esler will join an expert panel for America on a Knife Edge exploring the fears and hopes for the future for the world’s most powerful nation.
Adrian Turpin, Wigtown Book Festival Artistic Director, said: “Like Ancient Rome, all roads lead to Wigtown this month as legions of visitors descend on Scotland’s National Book Town. Now in its 26th year, the festival a celebration of curiosity and a forum for discussion and debate.”
One of the past’s greatest powers will be brought into focus by Dr Fraser Hunter, Principal Curator of Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology at National Museums Scotland.
He will explode some of the myths surrounding the presence of a colonising power which came north, saw and conquered no less than three times.
Fraser said: “I want to address some of the myths. We often think of their world stopping at Hadrian’s Wall – it didn’t, Scotland was in or on the edge of the Roman world. They invaded three times, coming twice into Galloway.
“We also often have a bit of an Asterix view of the Romans, poor Italians shivering in the cold and facing fierce, indomitable tribesman.
“It was much more complex than that. Who was a Roman? The army was a huge ethnic and cultural mix and very few of the solders serving here would have been from the heart of the empire.
“And as for the people living here. What do you do when the Roman army turns up on your doorstep? Fight, run, do a deal? I want to give a sense of how different groups made different decisions.”
For Fraser, it will be a welcome homecoming as he was born and raised in the area – his mother is from Kirkcudbright and his father Jack, a much-loved historian of the region was from Wigtown.
His event taps into a deep fascination and ambivalence towards the Romans that has passed down through the ages.
Archaeological evidence shows that some people keenly acquired Roman goods and saw them as a source of status, while there was also an upsurge in Celtic artwork, suggesting that others were determined to assert their own cultural identity.
Well-known names coming to Scotland’s National Book Town this year include poet Pam Ayres, The Hebridean Baker Coinneach MacLeod, food legend Sue Lawrence, Scotland’s National Chef Gary MacLean, Former BBC Moscow correspondent Martin Sixsmith, author Irvine Welsh.
There will also be appearances from musician and author Cerys Matthews and MasterChef finalist Sarah Rankin, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and actor James Cosmo.
The Big Wig line-up includes children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Scots writer Susi Briggs and many more. There is also an exciting Young Adults’ programme.
Wigtown prides itself on being a festival where books are just the beginning.
This year there will be a strong environmental theme which will include a Coastal Fringe series of activities allowing visitors to experience to beauties of the area’s saltmarshes.
There will also be guided walks, theatre, music, whisky tasting, lectures and awards.
There will also be the chance to join BBC Radio Scotland’s Michelle McManus for a special live broadcast of The Afternoon Show and Anna Welander for a recording of BBC Upload where performers get the chance to perform everything from music to poetry.
- America on a Knife Edge, panel discussion, Saturday, 28 September, 3pm.
War and Diplomacy on Rome’s Northern Frontier, The Whithorn Trust Event, with Fraser Hunter Sunday, 6 October, 1.30pm
