Join us for the Story Cafe between 12:30 and 2:30pm this Thursday 9th June as Scottish author Kirsty Logan whisks us away on an exploration of the myths, fairy-tales and national folklore that inspire her award winning prose. An afternoon not to be missed, say volunteer blogger Kyla…
Of sixteenth century Scotland, Lucien Febvre wrote: “…who lacked familiarity with angels and demons? Who did not carry inside himself a strange, phantasmagorical universe haunted by strange species?”
Indeed, who did not? In such times folklore, superstition and the merging of those elements with devout religion held a vice grip on Scottish society. Belief that herbal remedies were the only cures to any medical malady was the widely accepted truth, and the ill and infirm would visit ancient ‘healing wells’ to bathe in or drink their soothing waters. Since Pictish times, Scots had believed that powerful witches and fairy folk ruled the fortunes of the common people, and such spiritual beings were granted esteemed places in rural communities. Ghosts roamed the moors and old battlefields, and the prevailing mythos became that the land itself seemed to be haunted by a sense of itself.
Therefore, it’s not difficult to imagine why the Scots people have an affinity for all things fantastic and folky, even in our modern society. As a nation we are usually fiercely proud of who we are and the rich, ethereal story-telling heritage that our ancestors have passed down to us. Of such Scots who still hold such myths – old and new – dear, I’m a fervent member. As is award-winning author Kirsty Logan.
Every once in a while in a country as relatively small as ours, a writer will come along with a myth-building talent so tangible that there’s no doubt that they were born to tell stories of imagination and nuance. Kirsty is undoubtedly one of them. Her writing is simple, yet beautiful. It’s a calm sort of prose, one that doesn’t rush itself and never feels forced. Furthermore, the construction of the deeply fleshed out worlds that she sets her tales in is sublime, and it’s easy to see that the long, mythical heritage of her country has influenced and affected her writing deeply.
Though she’s best known for 2015’s drowning dystopia The Gracekeepers, I’ve always preferred the Scott Prize winning The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales (2014). It’s an Angela Carr-esque collection of fantastical stories written with rich variation. Within each of them, Kirsty mixes magical realism with steampunk aesthetics and a raw, pulsing overtone of sexuality. Each story moves backwards through the kaleidoscope of the young writer’s own vivid imagination, offering multiple surprising viewpoints, narrative styles and settings.
The prose is written with a lascivious edge that matches the depth of the worlds she creates, and is overflowing with rich, full-bodied descriptions. We’re told that one character is “greeneyed, full of verbs. She smelled of rain and revolution.” while a tree is noted to be “gently vomits leaves.” She describes two lovers as having “mouths red and round like quims.” Life leaps off of every page because of Kirsty’s unashamed utilisation of clever and unusual writing tools.
The best part of Rental Heart, however, are the stories that involve a narrative flipping of the traditional fairy tale motif. In one such example, we meet Matryoshka, a young and unassuming servant girl who enchants a prince at a fabulous ball, witnessed through the unexpected viewpoint of a young, beautiful princess full of snobbery and hubris – a girl who expected the story to be all about her. In another, we meet an empress trapped in a jewelled castle who sets tigers upon her would-be rescuers – she’s not your archetypal damsel in distress.
It’s not just the stories or the way that they’re written that makes them so enthralling, however, but also how Kirsty heaves them unapologetically into the 21st century by addressing contemporary Scottish issues such as sexuality, gender, society and relationships. In this way, she weaves fairy tales and myths for current and future generations, continuing a national tradition that began thousands of years ago.
A truly inspiring young woman and author-to-watch, it’s a pleasure to be able to host Kirsty for a special Story Café, where she’ll be giving an exclusive reading from her latest work A Portable Shelter, sharing her own favourite folktales and expressing how the themes of darkness, loss, identity and history that are prevalent in popular Scottish myth have influenced both her as a writer and her writing itself.
Surely an afternoon not to be missed!
You can also read more of Kirsty – as well as 20 other incredible female Scottish writers and artists – in Glasgow Women’s Library’s 21 Revolutions, available from our shop.
