ISBN: 978-1-915108-31-9
Publication date: 26 June 2025
Pamphlet, 38 pages.
“…what are debateable lands? Surely no land is ‘debateable’, it simply is. God-gien. A patch o bracken oan a hillside formed by His haun. Mebbe a careless haun. This patch no needin quite as much thocht as anither: Jerusalem, or Mount Sinai, Edina or London. But God-gien nane the less and there, just there, no needin the huff and puff o human argie bargie. But… tae a King… mebbe yon lands are debateable.”
Esther is a play/lyrical monologue in the ‘voice’ of the Renaissance Scottish calligrapher, Esther Inglis (c1570–1624). In Scots that is authentic, earthy, and literary, David Kinloch – through Inglis – brings the early 17th century to life, and reveals how matters of art, calligraphy and authorship are riven with both personal and political significance. Kinloch asks important questions concerning power, authority, prejudice and self-determination that still remain vital and provocative. He succeeds in presenting Inglis as an engaging and ground-breaking presence in a society filled with barriers, a pioneer who deserves to be remembered and celebrated today.
