James Robertson - And the Land Lay Still

One of Scotland's most vital authors tackles our Q&A

This article is from 2010.

Give us five words to describe And the Land Lay Still?
Big. Scottish. Panoramic. Multi-storied.

Which authors should be more famous than they are now?
Sherman Alexie. John Galt.

What do you love about book festivals?
Catching up with other authors. Big tents. Informal outdoor encounters with enthusiastic readers.

Which dead author do you wish was still alive today?
James Kennaway was a daring and original writer who, had he not died in a car accident at the age of 40 in 1968, would now be the grand old man of Scottish letters. It would be fascinating to know how his career turned out.

What would you change about the publishing world?
I’d want publishers to re-engage with what’s left of High Street bookselling, particularly independent bookshops, and help to build them into oases of civilisation in the arid wastelands of shopping.
14 Aug, 5pm, £19 (£8); 28 Aug (kids event with Alexander McCall Smith), noon, £4.