Peak Reads and Playlists: Dr Valentina Bold

Inspired by BBC Radio’s “Desert Island Discs,” the Peter Lang Group presents ‘Peak Reads & Playlists’.

Join us on a journey to the mountain peaks near our Lausanne headquarters where we speak with our esteemed series editors.

In this interview format, our guests share the books, music, and food that would keep them company if they were whisked away alone to this beautiful mountain setting. They’ll explore the reasons behind their choices, revealing the influence each has had on their lives. Get a glimpse into the hearts and minds of the Peter Lang community.

Name: Dr Valentina Bold 
Job Title: Series Editor 
Series: Studies in the History and Culture of Scotland 

Books

> Which FICTION title would take the coveted first spot on your list?

James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) is the one fiction title that surprises me on each reading. It is original and startlingly innovative: as relevant today as it was when it was written. The narrators are unreliable and might be insane; characters might not exist (hardly any are likeable); religious values are distorted and destructive. Justified Sinner is set in a world where the natural and supernatural are a shifting continuum, where present and past co-exist. No one can be trusted, least of all the author.  

> If you were offered the chance to take a NON-FICTION title, which would you choose?

Jen Stout’s Night Train to Odesa (2024) gripped me from the first page to the last. It is a personal, direct and heartfelt account of conflict and its impact, particularly on women. Through a journalist’s clear vision, this is perceptive, insightful, compassionate writing, from a Shetlander’s perspective, focussed on Ukraine. 

> We’re feeling generous so we’ll allow you one more book, your choice of FICTION or NON-FICTION – which one makes the list?

This one has to be poetry: to feed the soul as well as the mind. I would like the ‘O Choille gu Bearradh / From Wood to Ridge’, the Collected Poems of Somhairle MacGill-Eain / Sorley MacLean (1911 – 1996) edited by Christopher Whyte. There is a wealth of experience here that goes beyond the personal, into the political, natural and imaginative, from the Gàidhealtachd  into Europe, with consummate ease, anchored in tradition, exploring with imagination and grace. 

Music

> The mountain ranges have spectacular acoustics. Which 5 MUSICAL RECORDINGS would you take to enjoy whilst up on the summit and why? Please provide links from Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube.

1. The McCalmans, ‘The Ettrick Shepherd’
   Beautiful settings of James Hogg’s poetry and songs: varied, haunting and entertaining.
   

2. Sheena Wellington, ‘Hamely Fare’
Great selection of Scottish tradition from one of our finest, and most influential, singers: powerful, important and compassionate.

3. Karine Polwart, ‘This is Karine Polwart’
Fifty songs from a wonderful singer, which would help me remember Scotland in all its diverse moods.

4. Emily Smith, ‘This is Emily Smith’
All three women singers in my list are song-writers as well as outstanding performers; this selection is remarkable for its stylistic range as well as Smith’s superb delivery. 

5. Nicola Benedetti, ‘This is Nicola Benedetti’
For when I need instrumental space to contemplate, and to celebrate, there would be nothing better than violinist extraordinaire, in this wide-ranging collection.

Food

> We couldn’t let our community feed their souls but not their bodies, so which FOOD DISH would you choose to take with you on the mountain retreat? 

Sweet soul food by choice: shortbread, following a traditional recipe such as these.

Thank you to Dr Valentina Bold for joining us up the mountain!

Discover the series here – Studies in the History and Culture of Scotland