Donald S. Murray - The Loch Of The Bees

For the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali headed to Stirling to talk to writer Donald S. Murray about his new novel The Loch Of The Bees, which is published with Saraband Books.

The two met at the lauded venue the Tolbooth as Donald is a member of the Metagama Ensemble who are behind Metagama: An Atlantic Odyssey, a piece of theatre which mixes music, song, and spoken word, and which was playing the venue on the last night of its current tour. Donald tells us all about it, and to hear one of the songs stay on to the end of the podcast.

The two then talk about The Loch Of The Bees. Donald gives a brief description before setting out the inspirations behind it, looking to stories of the past to better understand the present, the importance of place, the interlinked nature of the individual tales, the themes of love, religion, grief, & obsession, and how they emerge through the stories themselves. And then there are the bees!

The conversation also touches upon the history of the Highlands & Islands, Gaelic culture and language (and the attempts to suppress both) and the author's personal connections to this novel.

It's always a pleasure to talk to Donald, one of the most original and insightful writers around, and The Loch Of The Bees is just the latest, and one of the finest, examples of why this is. The resulting chat is a warm and enchanting exchange which will appeal to anyone with an interest in Scottish history and culture.

Full details, including all the ways to listen, are over at scotswhayhae.com