For members of the Dorothy Dunnett Society, celebrations marking the hundredth anniversary of Dorothy Dunnett’s birth will be many and varied. Some will take place virtually, others in person and in countries all over the world. Information about the Centenary year as a whole will be available on the Society’s website, Dunnett Central, through its links to the dedicated Centenary Website.
But there is one event that stands out from the rest. The Dorothy Dunnett Centenary Gathering & Conference is scheduled to take place in Edinburgh, the city in which Dunnett lived for most of her life, and which she chose as the setting for memorable scenes in her books. The 9-day programme is conceived as one continuous event, but it may be helpful to think of it as consisting of three distinct elements. Bear in mind also that everything is optional. Delegates are free to choose as many or as few events as they wish.
The first part is the academic conference. Its purpose is to fulfil the Society’s charitable aims:
to advance the education of the public concerning the history, politics, culture and religion of the … 15th and 16th centuries by promoting the study of and research into such subjects generally and into such subjects particularly as they relate to the works of Dorothy Dunnett.
The conference begins on Thursday 20th April with a buffet lunch followed by an afternoon of papers united by the theme of historical diversity. It resumes on the morning of Friday 21st April and ends at 17:30 that afternoon.
The second part is the ‘Weekend’, modelled on the annual Edinburgh gathering which incorporates the Dorothy Dunnett Society’s Annual General Meeting. On Friday 21st April in the evening will be the ‘Welcome Meal’, on Saturday 22nd the ‘Lecture Day’ ending with the AGM (members only), and then the Gala Dinner in the evening, and on Sunday 23rd a menu offering various tours to places of historical or literary interest.
The third part consists of the range of optional meals, tours and talks, including, but not limited to, the Ceilidh on the evening of Thursday 20th, an evening concert on Monday 24th, a lunchtime talk at the National Library of Scotland, an Orkney-themed evening and a visit to the Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels.
Full details of the programme and prices for the whole Gathering can be found on this website.
If you are ready to join us, click on this link: Centenary Gathering Booking
Any surplus funds generated by these events will be used to fund the charitable aims of the society.