James hopes to help raise Tayside’s profile abroad

AN Angus-based author is hoping to help raise Tayside’s cultural profile abroad after being picked to showcase Scottish literature.

James Robertson, who lives in Newtyle, is among 40 UK writers selected by the International Literature Showcase (ILS), which aims to build collaborations between authors, professionals and cultural events.

James explained that despite Tayside’s progress in recent years, it remains an overlooked area both in Scotland and abroad.

He said: “I was approached by the Writers’ Centre Norwich to be featured in the ILS.

“The idea is to have a range of writers, both established and emerging, of all genres, showcased on a website with photos, videos and excerpts from their work. That way they can be matched with events around the world, for example literature festivals looking for UK authors.

“The online resource makes it easier to find out more about the author and whether they’d be a good fit for the event and it’s also a great way for writers to gain more exposure.

“Dundee and Tayside as a whole has a lot going for it, such as the excellent literary festival, but it still remains relatively unknown abroad. Even within a Scottish context, this area tends to be overlooked, so hopefully this will be a chance to raise its profile.”

James is the author of six novels, four short story collections, several poetry pamphlets for adults and many books and translations written in Scots for children and young readers.

Other authors on the list include bestselling novelist Jessie Burton, Neel Mukherjee, Sarah Moss, Amy Liptrot and poet Kathleen Jamie.

James Robertson