The Bagpiping People

Professor Douglas Dunn, former Head of the School of English, has published his first collection of selected short stories, The Bagpiping People, with Turnpike Books. Widely considered one of the finest poets of our time, this collection of Douglas's stories is drawn from two previous volumes published in 1985 and 1995, as well as from stories published in The New Yorker.

Set in Scotland, with many depicting his natal Renfrewshire, the stories focus on family secrets and the hidden desires of individuals, capturing the bonds and tensions of family and community life, as well as the possibility of righting the wrongs of the past. From the parental self-deceptions and the growing independence of a child depicted in 'Bobby's Room', to the description of the Scotland that lies behind that seen by tourists in 'The Canoes', each story portrays a whole, vivid world that allows a glimpse into an individual life, while simultaneously asserting the individuality of that life.