Courtyard ready to unveil newest literary inscription

A COURTYARD celebrating Scotland's rich literary heritage was set to unveil its newest inscription this weekend.

Makars' Court, next to the Writers' Museum, already boasts stones bearing quotations from 32 Scottish writers, from Sir Walter Scott and Dame Muriel Spark to Sorley MacLean and John Buchan.

Now the newest stone, set to be unveiled today at a special ceremony, is in honour of James Allan Ford, the award-winning novelist and cultural activist who died last year.

The inscription is taken from the final chapter of his 1965 novel A Statue for a Public Place, and reads: "Sing out the silence, fill for ever and ever the emptiness".

Councillor Deidre Brock, the city's culture and leisure leader, said: "This poignant and uplifting inscription is a very welcome addition to Makars' Court, which is a key landmark on the Old Town tourist trail.

"Scotland - and not least its capital city - has produced an extraordinary number of accomplished writers and Makars' Court is an excellent way of paying tribute to them."