Top 10 books about performance – the lives of actors and musicians
The challenge of capturing the triumphs and crushing failures of the stage and concert hall in words has been taken on by writers from Shakespeare to Virginia Woolf and Eimear McBride
August 2021
Our Ladies review – choir of convent schoolgirls cuts loose in Edinburgh
This adaptation of Alan Warner’s The Sopranos is led by a terrific ensemble cast – though some of the gags feel dated post #MeToo
March 2021
Book of the day
Kitchenly 434 by Alan Warner review – a 1970s rock Gormenghast
Books interview
Alan Warner: 'I’m addicted to rereading a Brian Eno biog'
May 2020
A book that changed me
How a badly behaved heroine transformed my grey little life
Sophie Mackintosh
Alan Warner’s Morvern Callar taught me about rooting for the wicked, giving up control and the beauty in ambiguity, says author Sophie Mackintosh
February 2018
Top 10s
Top 10 books about the Scottish Highlands and Islands
Remote yet magnetic, the rugged environments of Scotland’s north have been inspiring writing for centuries, whether in memoir, natural history or tales of alien hitchhikers...
August 2016
Alan Warner: How I fell in love with Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour
Books blog
What's your favourite Scottish novel – and is it on the BBC's list?
August 2015
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour review – a high-energy kick
There are great performances from these convent girls let loose in Edinburgh in Lee Hall’s adaptation of the Alan Warner novel
Their Lips Talk of Mischief by Alan Warner review – thinking and drinking
In Thatcher’s Britain, two aspiring writers quench their thirst while chasing their dreams (and the same girl)
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour at Edinburgh festival review – the rush of girls on tour
Lee Hall: Why I put Alan Warner's The Sopranos on stage
Edinburgh fringe 2015: 10 shows to see
September 2014
Rowling: I'll be 'just fine', but if it all goes badly wrong, other people will pay
The author explains her donation to Better Together as other cultural figures declare their allegiance to 'Yes'
August 2014
Alan Warner: booze, books and why he's backing Scottish independence
Their Lips Talk of Mischief review – Alan Warner's Withnail and I-esque novel
July 2014
Scottish writers on the referendum – independence day?
Should Scotland go it alone? As the referendum approaches, leading Scottish writers give their thoughts
June 2012
The Deadman's Pedal by Alan Warner – review
Alan Warner has realised his potential triumphantly, argues Stuart Kelly
