JOHN BUCHAN’S “SHOCKER” : THE CREATION OF THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS 

LECTURE, LUNCH,AND SPECIAL INTEREST AFTERNOON FOLLOW UP

On January 9th 2024, we will be celebrating the first TASDAG meeting of the new season with a literary and cinematic experience. The lecture will be about the Scottish writer John Buchan, and will focus on the creation of his classic spy thriller.

John Buchan had been a prolific published writer for twenty years when he started his  “shocker” in 1914. The world was at war, Buchan was on holiday but confined to his bed by illness,  and he found the writing of a slim spy thriller a welcome distraction. The result – The Thirty-Nine Steps – proved an immediate success.  and the fast-paced tale of hero Richard Hannay on the run in the Scottish hills has remained in print ever since, taking on a life far beyond the page. Using readings from the novel and quotations from Buchan’s correspondence, this talk describes the writing and publishing of the book and the reasons for its success and enduring appeal.

Lecturer: Andrew Martin is the former Curator of Scottish Literature and Culture at the National Library of Scotland, and Librarian at National Museums Scotland.

We do hope you will join us for this nostalgic treat,  which will end at about 3.30pm, allowing people to get home in time for tea!. Please book as soon as possible.

For application form for lunch and film click here or go to Documents under the Our Society tab.