Rankin: I can pay my fare to festival

Published on Wednesday 19 August 2009 22:06

THE Scottish Government has said it will spend £50,000 to send 18 Scottish writers to a Canadian book festival, prompting crime author Ian Rankin to immediately offer to pay his own way.

The "Writing Scotland" project is sending prize-winning names, from novelist AL Kennedy to poet Jen Hadfield, to the prestigious literary showcase in Toronto.

The trip is being organised by the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Toronto's International Festival of Authors, paid for by Scottish Government money from its Expo fund for showcasing Scottish work in the festivals.

The culture minister, Michael Russell, said it would "present the most vibrant and creative authors from Scotland and their works to an international audience".

Mr Rankin said it was important to send authors overseas as a group with clout. But when the issue of cost was raised by The Scotsman yesterday, he immediately offered to pay his own way – though he ruefully admitted he had just had an expensive holiday in Canada.

"I think the Scottish Government have offered for me to go to Canada, but I think I am quite capable of paying for myself to go," Mr Rankin said.

Mr Russell said this meant another author's travel could be funded. "If that's an official thing, we will add one more person," he said.

The Toronto festival, in September, known as the Harbourfront festival after the centre where it is based, is a key literary event in a country with four million people of Scottish descent.

The writers in the list of 18 range from well-known names to newer talents, including Richard Holloway, the author and Scottish Arts Council chairman, detective writer Denise Mina, Andrew O'Hagan, David Byrne, Ron Butlin and Margaret Elphinstone.

"Because festivals have to develop, the opportunity to forge links with other festivals is crucial to the future of the Edinburgh festival," said Mr Russell.

Scottish writers are invited to Canada at other times, Mr Rankin said.

"But if you are only invited in dribs and drabs or one at a time, one year and the next, it hasn't got the same clout. If you go in a block, then suddenly you're saying this isn't just about me, it's not just about crime fiction, it's about Scottish writing, Scottish culture, Scottish identity.

"I know from my books, the biggest market I've got outside the UK is Canada, before anywhere else. Part of it is the ex-pats – there are lots of people of Scots descent who are interested in Scotland – and people who want to know more about Scottish culture."

A second author on the list, the former journalist and crime writer Quintin Jardine, also said he would have paid for his own travel, if asked – and like Mr Rankin said it was right for Scottish writers to be dispatched overseas.