Colm Tóibín (The News From Dublin) is appearing in several events at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, and what a joy that is. He’s an absolute treasure, but would undoubtedly hate me to say so. He’s in turns laid back and very droll and then, on a sixpence, is full of seriousness and sound advice. I suspect his natural state is the former, but he is revered for his wisdom and long experience.
He reminded me a bit of the Scottish poet Norman MacCaig, whom I was lucky enough to meet on a few occasions when I was a pupil and then a student. He insisted he was lazy and that his muse let him away with writing the first thing that came into his head and no revisions thereafter were necessary. I’ve not come across another poet who believes that, but it makes a good story, and I choose to believe it was to encourage nascent writers not to be afraid and just get our thoughts down on paper. It would be enough – or at least a start. Tóibín advised something similar – just write! Every day. Even if it takes you fourteen years to complete a short story, as was the case with one of the stories in the collection, that’s alright. It will either finish itself, or it won’t and no harm in either.
He tells a good tale and yet says he’s not from a long line of storytellers (‘no old grannie in the corner’), but he does come from a large family where inconsequential stories would get short shrift. So perhaps he learnt to entertain and say something of consequence in that atmosphere, rather than be ignored or ‘told to shut up’ as he suggested. Wherever his muse comes from, she’s been good to his very keen readership.
There was a full house of adoring acolytes, hanging on his every word, agreeing with chair Chris Power that Tóibín reads beautifully. All the comments I heard from audience members before and after were about what a lovely man he is, so I chanced my arm, joined the queue to get my book signed and – having no hard copy of his book which I’d reviewed before publication online – cheekily asked if he’d sign a copy of Claire Keegan’s book Small Things Like These, which he’d endorsed on the front (and mentioned her during the event). He smiled benignly, opened the book and wrote ‘I love this book!’ and signed it. I’ll treasure that forever.
Ali Smith and The New European Ensemble at Greyfriars Kirk
Still on a high from that, I made my way to Greyfriars Kirk a little later, to listen to Ali Smith read from her Seasonal Quartet novels, accompanied by The New European Ensemble (NEE) playing ‘new musical works inspired by the series’ themes of interconnectedness, migration and our place in a troubled world’ by four female composers.
Having been to what I imagined was a similar event the previous night, with Scottish poet Len Pennie reading her poems while Paul Leonard-Morgan and members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra played specially composed music to accompany her, I knew I was in for a treat. Greyfriars Kirk has fabulous acoustics, and I love Ali Smith’s work, including this quartet. The Kirk was pretty much full, including the Scottish literary great and the good. It was really lovely to behold: the promise of another great night.
“…cheekily asked if he’d sign a copy of Claire Keegan’s book Small Things Like These, which he’d endorsed on the front (and mentioned her during the event). He smiled benignly, opened the book and wrote ‘I love this book!’ and signed it. I’ll treasure that forever.”
The NEE comprised seven European musicians playing piano, strings and woodwind and the first piece was complex and quite discordant, played with sensitivity and gusto. It was paired with Smith’s Autumn, though a little later another part of the same piece was paired with Smith’s Winter reading. The music was played separately from Smith’s readings, which I hadn’t anticipated, but as Ali read with all the care and emotion it feels like she puts into her work, I was hooked. Authors don’t always read their own work well, but Smith is not one of those. She made me want to go back and re-read each one of the Quartet.
As the programme continued, however, I became less engaged in the music, not really understanding the connection between it and Smith’s words. There was a lot of music and not so many words. The readings were generally short, the pieces of music quite long, and the event overran by several minutes. When you don’t live locally and rely on public transport, that can be an issue, and for me it proved a distraction.
The music wasn’t to my taste, but that is neither here nor there. It was beautifully played and the discord fit with the brief that the composers were exploring when they each wrote their compositions. I enjoyed watching the musicians play – they were so engaged in each piece and gave it their all – but I would have loved more of Ali’s readings.
Featured Image:Colm Tóibín – Author Pic – EIBF2026
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