Secrets and spies in Scottish literature
When
Tuesday 21 July 2026
13:00 - 14:00
Where
Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Festival Theatre, Port-Na-Craig Rd, Port na Craig, Pitlochry PH16 5DR
View directions on Google Maps
Format
In-person
Cost
£12
About this event
An exploration of Scotland’s unique place in the spy novel
Scotland’s hidden histories and mysterious landscapes make it a prime site for clandestine activities.
Join Professor Penny Fielding FRSE as she talks about the history of the spy novel in Scotland, and what sets spy fiction apart from detective fiction. Why do fictional spies so often find their way to Scotland? And why are Scottish authors drawn to its landscapes, borderlands and history of espionage?
From Scottish literary greats like Walter Scott and John Buchan to contemporary authors, hear how writers have woven surveillance, secret intelligence and carefully crafted misdirection into their stories.
A Beer, A Bap and a Boffin
This event takes place at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre, and is part of the A Beer, A Bap and A Boffin event series in collaboration with the Pitlochry Festival Theatre. All tickets will include a beer and a bap (vegetarian/vegan options and non-alcoholic options available). For tickets and further information visit online at pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com or call the Box Office on 01796 484626.
Event type
Contributors
Professor Penny Fielding
Grierson Professor of English Literature, University of EdinburghPenny Fielding formerly held posts at the University of Bristol and Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests are in Scottish Literature, 1750 to the present; space and place; and modern and contemporary spy fiction. She is co-director of the Writing the North project with the Shetland Museum and Archives, General Editor of the New Edinburgh Edition of Robert Louis Stevenson, and co-director of Edinburgh Spy Week – an annual series of public events about espionage fiction and history. Her publications include Scotland and the Fictions of Geography and The 1880s (co-edited with Andrew Taylor).
Contact us
If you have an event enquiry, please email us on public_engagement@theRSE.org.uk.