City Literature

I just finished re-reading Pride and Prejudice, and am moving on the Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin.  Rankin's series about an Edinburgh detective are good little pulp mysteries, but are especially interesting because many of the scenes take place in areas I frequent.  The one I just finished, The Falls, took place almost completely in my neighborhood.
I've already talked about Elephant House in an earlier post, which is the cafe J.K. Rowling says she started writing Harry Potter in (and along with several other cafes nearby, was where she wrote the first book).  In honor of the inspiration Edinburgh had for the series, Rowling also finished it here, booking a suit at the Balmoral Hotel to complete the seventh book.  According to interviews, so wrote a message in an alcove in the room and signed it the night she finished the series.  If you ever book a suit at the Balmoral, don't forget to look!

I wanted to take a minute and plug the Inspector Rebus series as another great Edinburgh connection to modern fiction.  There's even an iPhone app that provides a Rebus-themed walking tour of the city!  I've already read Strip Jack and The Falls, and am starting Fleshmarket Close today.  If you're interested, read along with me!

Edinburgh Tourism, 1861

While researching nineteenth century tartan books earlier today, I discovered Black's Picturesque Tourist of Scotland: a guidebook to Scotland published in Edinburgh in 1861.  It's full of lovely illustrations and hilarious price guides, but my favorite part are the exploratory walking routes around various cities-especially Edinburgh.  In the introduction to the chapter on Edinburgh, Black's remarks:

"The resemblance between Athens and Edinburgh, has been remarked by most travellers [sic] who have visited both capitals, has conferred upon the Scottish metropolis the title of 'The Modern Athens'....Dr. Clarke remarks that the neighbourhood of Athens is just the Highlands of Scotland enriched with the splendid remains of art...The natural and artificial beauties of the place, however, are not its only attractions.  Many of its localities teem with the recollections of the past, and are associated with the events of deep historical importance; others have been invested with an interest no less engrossing by the transcendent genius of Sir Walter Scott, whose novels have not only refreshed and embellished the incidents of history, but have conferred on many a spot, formerly unknown to fame, a reputation as enduring as the annals of history itself.
In literary eminence, the University of Edinburgh claims a distinguished place.  At the commencement of the present century it displayed an array of contemporaneous talent unequalled before by any similar institution; and we have only to remind our readers of the names of Robertson, Playfair, Leslie, Black, Cullen, Robison, Blair, Dugald Stewart, Brown, Gregory, and Munro, to vindicate this assertion.  This high status has been honorably maintained by successors among whom are numbered some of the most distinguished men of modern times.
...The climate in Edinburgh, although it cannot be called mild or genial, is yet eminently salubrious; and favourable, not only to longevity, but to the development of the mental and physical powers."
(pp. 16-8)

Yay!  The entire book is totally adorable.  If you'd like to read it for yourself, it's available on Google Books in its entirety.  Here it is :)

The Elephant House

This was meant to be part of the last First Grade Friends entry, but then I realized first graders might be too young for Harry Potter.  Whoops.

Audrey and I took Tuesday afternoon to wander around the city centre in a way I haven't really done since I moved in.  I mean, I know the area well and am there all the time, but I rarely poke into shops or stop for tea.  So that's exactly what we did, and Audrey took a ton of pictures (she's a photographer and does really fun things with film-you can see for yourself at Visually Stunning, her photography blog), which someday I will steal from her.  After the Writers' Museum we went to The Elephant House, a cute little cafe on George IV Bridge.  We split a pot of vanilla tea and a slice of carrot cake.  The Elephant House, as you might guess, is full of statues and pictures of elephants.  It's super cozy and adorable.

In addition to just being a great place to sit and drink tea, The Elephant House is also the coffee shop in which J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

 Here's Audrey, photographing our carrot cake.

and this is Cu (which means dog in Gaelic), the stuffed sheep I bought at Bothwell.  He came with us so Audrey could use him as a model.

Also Harry Potter related: Did you know JR started and ended the series in Edinburgh?  She finished the last book at the Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street.  It's sort of the Edinburgh version of the Ritz Carlton.  I walk past it whenever I go shopping, but I've never been inside.
This is the facade, though:

I can't wait to see the new movie.  Eventually.

Summer Reading

I'm off today for Edinburgh!  I'm nervous and jittery, but mostly just excited.  I can't wait to begin exploring my new home and getting back to doing research and reading.  The American program I'm going to Edinburgh through, Arcadia University, organizes trips for us throughout the semester.  One of those has a literature theme, and includes lunch with a native Scottish author.  In preparation, we all read one of his books this summer and held an online book club.  I highly recommend One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night to anyone interested in action, comedy, or who is a fan of The Breakfast Club.

The novel is a very entertaining journey to a high school reunion gone horribly wrong.  Throughout the story, the point of view switches between several different characters, following the now-adult students to the "Floating Island Paradise Resort" where the reunion is held, as well as some of the organizers and a couple of mercenaries.
At some points I had a hard time following the dialog because of  all the local slang-but I better get used to it!  I'm very excited to meet the author, Christopher Brookmyre, in October.  I'll post about it after I go, so if anyone's interested in following along pick up a copy of One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night.




Wish me luck!  My next post will be from Scotland!