Val McDermid and Jo Sharp Collaborate on Historical Novella About Scotland's Darien Venture
Birlinn will release 'This Door of the Seas' next week, a novella co-written by Val McDermid, a renowned crime novelist, and Jo Sharp, the first female Geographer Royal of Scotland. The story reimagines the 1698 Darien venture, a disastrous Scottish attempt to create a trading colony in Panama that ultimately led to Scotland's financial ruin and the 1707 union with England. Partners for 13 years, the duo began their collaboration after Sharp stumbled upon the tale while preparing for a book festival presentation. While Sharp, a geography professor at the University of St Andrews, undertook the majority of the research, McDermid was recovering from open-heart surgery. The novella is part of Birlinn's Darkland Tales series and highlights historical realities alongside the experiences of modern migrants.
Key facts
- Val McDermid and Jo Sharp co-authored the novella 'This Door of the Seas'.
- The novella is a fictionalized account of the 1698 Darien venture.
- The Darien venture was a failed Scottish expedition to Panama.
- Over 2,000 Scots died in the venture, mostly from disease and famine.
- The failure led to Scotland's union with England in 1707.
- Sharp is Scotland's first female Geographer Royal and a professor at the University of St Andrews.
- McDermid has written 51 books, translated into over 40 languages.
- The novella is published by Birlinn as part of the Darkland Tales series.
- Sharp did most of the research, including at the National Library of Scotland.
- The couple aimed to correct historical myths about the venture.
Entities
Artists
- Val McDermid
- Jo Sharp
- Alan Cumming
- Ali Smith
- Carol Ann Duffy
- Ian Rankin
- Alexander McCall Smith
Institutions
- University of St Andrews
- Royal Society of Edinburgh
- National Library of Scotland
- Birlinn
Locations
- Edinburgh
- Scotland
- Panama
- England