WRITERS MEET

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29908, 23 August 1962, Page 13

WRITERS MEET

Abuse But No Fights

'N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) LONDON, Aug. 22.

Only the fights were missing at yesterday’s session of the international writers’ conference at the McEwan Hall in Edinburgh, according to the Scottish correspondent of “The Times.”

The president of the session, Professor David Daiches had predicted “interruptions for fights, abuse, differences of opinions and so on.” The session began with the water carafes filled with whisky. “A nice touch, don’t you think?” said one of the organisers.

After a strongly nationalistic opening speech by Mr Hugh McDiarmid, Mr Alexander Trocchi, a novelist who was educated in Glasgow and lived in the United States, said that although he had a lot of love for him. Mr McDiarmid was "an old so-and-so," and spoke with derision of his "rather old-fashioned hatred of the English.” Remarks were bandied between the two men to the chuckles of the audience. The climax of the session came when Mr J. Macrae began to play a guitar and Mr Morris Blythman and Mr Hamish Henderson sang some Scots ballads, which included a collection of anti-Polaris songs. Mr Macrae dedicated to Mr Henry Miller, the American author who is attending thu conference, the song “Lady Chat.”

An extensive exodus was noticeable as they began their second song, the “Glasgow Eskimos,” the correspondent wrote. When it ended. Professor Daiches said: “Thank you. for coming, ladies and gentlemen” and left the platform.