The Dorothy Dunnett Society

“Is there no one will take up this priceless thing and say, here is a nation, with such a soul; with such talents; with these failings and this native worth?” The Game of Kings
  • 0
    • “Is there no one will take up this priceless thing and say, here is a nation, with such a soul; with such talents; with these failings and this native worth?” The Game of Kings

    Jill Harrison

    I’m an Art History lecturer and Research Associate at the Open University with a special interest in the brilliant Trinity Altarpiece by Hugo van der Goes and all things related to the Trinity Collegiate chapel (‘silent, cool as a forest’, TLWL, Pt 2, Ch 14) in Edinburgh. I found my first Dorothy Dunnett book, The Game of Kings, in the 1980s and was immediately entranced by the complexity of the characters, Dunnett’s erudition and her all-embracing knowledge of poetry, music and history. I would love to emulate the brave and beautiful Philippa in The Lymond Chronicles, but as the wife of a now-retired Northumbrian organic farmer living not far from Flaw Valleys, I have much more in common with Philippa’s mother, the pragmatic Kate Somerville.

    Reading the Niccolò series led to a fascination for the enigmatic Anselm Adorne, who is now a big part of my research. To take this further I set up the Adorne Research Network and with colleagues I’m contributing to and editing a volume on his life and cultural legacy. I gave a presentation on my findings at the 2022 Dunnett Weekend and took members to see the Trinity Altarpiece in the Scottish National Gallery. I’ve a theory that the figure of St George in the altarpiece might be a hidden portrait of Anselm.

    I’m spending a lot of time in Dorothy Dunnett’s terrific archive in the National Library of Scotland – my idea of a great day out. As a new Trustee I would love to share my enthusiasm for exploring the archive and learning more about people, places and events inspired by Dunnett’s historical novels with Society members. I’m very much looking forward to attending more Dunnett days and meeting more members.

    Since leaving the farm I live in a rural Northumberland village, I’m a keen environmentalist, forager and hedgehog lover. Any spare time is filled with reading and music and visiting family in Edinburgh and East Lothian.