2023 – Scotland

Who is Dorothy Dunnett and Why am I Going to Scotland Because of Her?

‘“Lymond is back.”‘

‘“Lymond is in Scotland.”’

‘“I hear the Lord Culter’s young brother is back.”  Only sometimes a woman’s voice would say it with a different note, and then laugh a little.’

(From the opening of “Game of Kings”, by Dorothy Dunnett).

I’m about to head to Europe again for the first time since late 2018.  It’s been a long time.  First a new job, then a Pandemic, then some life changes got in the way.  I honestly didn’t see myself travelling for a while yet. Then a very old dear friend reached out with an offer to join her in Scotland.  I couldn’t say no once she explained!

To be honest, this trip really began in Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, Oregon in 1986. I still remember seeing the book on the shelf and reaching for it with a sense of utter unreality.  The book was called ‘Niccolò Rising’ by a favorite author of mine, Dorothy Dunnett.  It was surreal because this author was the writer of a much loved series – The Lymond Chronicles.  She hadn’t written anything like this in years.

I pounced on the hardcover book, and immediately bought it – a birthday present for my mom (and also for me to read!).  I then had to explain to Julie why I was coming utterly unglued and gushing unintelligibly.  That was the way Julie was introduced to Lymond, and later, Niccolo. 

All this is fine, but it really doesn’t explain why Julie and I are about to head halfway around the world because of a book and a story.  But these aren’t just any books.

The author of these books is Dorothy Dunnett.  Dorothy Halliday Dunnett (8/25/1923 – 11/9/2001) is a Scottish author.  But she is oh, so much more than that.  Considered a renaissance woman, she was a well know portrait painter, opera lover and musician.  But above all, she was a writer and historian.  Her husband Sir Alastair Dunnett was a renowned newspaper editor, director, playwright, and author.  Alastair encouraged her to write her first novel, Game of Kings, when she was bored and complained of nothing to read.

A remarkable woman, it is not at all surprising that her first novel should be remarkable as well.  The first book of the Lymond Chronicles, featuring Francis Crawford of Lymond, is truly unique.  It has everything – swashbuckling adventure, historical period accuracy, romance, interesting characters, and a devious plot.  It sounds like every historical piece of fiction and bodice-ripper ever written when described that way.  But Dunnett’s books are not a simple read.

The main character, Lymond, is sharp tongued, speaks in riddles and quotes, and often is not overly likable.  He is brilliant, and with that brilliance, has difficultly living the life he has been born into.  He is meant for a larger stage.  And he finds it, as the years go on through the various books, as his life between the years of 1547 and 1558 is detailed.  Through Scotland, England, the French Court, Malta, Russia, and the Far East, we follow as he is courted by monarchs for his mind and his military skills alike. The flaws in his character are revealed, and we see as he learns to temper them, and eventually come into his own on the world stage. 

Every scene, every word, in every passage is written in multiple layers, much like life itself.  The intricacies of which are not noticed until much later, or many readings of the same passage.  The historical characters and actual events are depicted in great detail, and her characters weave and move through the actual history as though they were part of the real happenings.  It is often very hard to determine who was a real person, was a main character real or fiction, and who is a character just moving the plot along.

I had been captivated by Francis Crawford of Lymond, Master of Culter since I was 15 and my mom introduced me to the series.  The series is deep, rich, and nuanced in a way I’d never seen, yet they are also adventure stories, and full of humor and mischief (sheep with helmets, anybody?).  As I’ve aged, I’ve taken in different aspects of the books, seeing different viewpoints as I’ve matured.  Listening to the unabridged series on Audible (25-35 hours per book) added yet more layers and yielded even more understanding. 

The Nicolo Series, released 11 years after the publication of Checkmate, the sixth and final book of the Lymond Chronicles, was set in the mid sixteenth century.  It focused on a whole new cast of characters, history, and plot.  These were brilliant in their own right, yet different, and in a different time with its own intricacies and politics.  These people turned out to be the forebearers of those in the Lymond Chronicles.  This eight book series concluded with the publication of “Gemini” in 2000.

The depth and complexity of these books cannot be underestimated.  The humor and adventure can’t either.  From a chase of young nobleman through the night scape of the Paris rooftops, to a game of Florentine Football on the curtain wall of Edinburgh Castle played by royalty, to a polo match played by princess in Trebizond, the scenes are amazing.  I’ve laughed so hard I couldn’t read, and cried my way through other sections, and yet always, always, deeply emersed in the language and imagery.  

Between mom and I, we have read them so many times over the years that we’ve worn out two sets of paperbacks.  Literally.  They were falling apart, held together only by rubber bands.  But Mom bought Checkmate in hardcover when it first came out, and we have gotten all of the Niccolo books and King Heareafter in hardcover, as soon as they were released.

These books are studied by serious academics, followed by fans, and talked about worldwide.  If you read one, you will understand why.  The author herself founded the Dorothy Dunnett Society in 2001.  This charity brings readers, scholars, and historians together.  The aim is to preserve the authors works, and foster interest in all parts of society of the 11^th, 15^th and 16^th centuries.  The society also sponsors get togethers worldwide.

So last spring, Julie reached out to me and wanted to know if I wanted to go to Edinburgh, Scotland with her.  The Dorothy Dunnett Society was planning a gathering in honor of the centenary of the authors birth, 100 years prior.  Gatherings have been held all over the world in places where the books have taken place, but for the Centenary Celebration, only Edinburgh would do.  Well, yeah, of course I wanted to go!  Plans were made, and I spent the summer revisiting the Niccolò series on Audible (8 books, 25-39 hours each!)  And now we are about to leave.

The first two days of the conference are for academics only.  The welcome dinner is the following Friday.  After that, various tours, dinners and other events are planned.  We will arrive in time for the Welcome Dinner.  I have never been to Scotland, and I am so looking forward to travelling again, seeing a new country, and revisiting the places I have only read about, and old friends from the Crawford and de Fleury families.  I also look forward to meeting new people, seeing new places, and becoming better acquainted with the people of the Dorothy Dunnett Society.

As always, I’ll be writing daily about our travels, and the things we see.  I hope you’ll follow along with us.