"The International Writers' Conference Revisited: Edinburgh, 1962" by Angela Bartie and Eleanor Bell (2012)

United Kingdom: Cargo Publishing (book), 2012.
8.25" x 11.75" x 0.75", 244 pages, softcover, perfect bound, ISBN 978-1908885159-9.

The International Writers' Conference Revisited: Edinburgh, 1962, edited by Angela Bartie and Eleanor Bell, as published in softcover by Cargo Publishing (UK) in 2012. This features "never-before-published original transcripts, highlights from the 1962 Conference programme, scrapbook-style press cuttings, and writing from attendees William Burroughs and Edwin Morgan." This also includes a number of photos of the event, many taken by Alan Daiches. Cover design by Craig Lamont. Typeset by Craig Lamont and Mark Buckland.

This excellent and unfortunately scarce resource contains a significant amount of Burroughs material, including the full text of his "Censorship" essay from Transatlantic Review, issue 11, 1962, including the sections "The Future of the Novel," "Notes on these pages," and "Nova Police besieged McEwan Hall" on pages 133–136.

Additional mentions of William S. Burroughs may be found in: the introduction [pp. 6, 10, 11, 12, and 13; an extract from Pursuit: The Uncensored Memoirs of John Calder (London, 2001) [pp. 30, 34–35, and 36]; in a reproduced article from The Times, 21 August 1962 [p. 55]; in a reproduced article from Scottish Field, October 1962 [p. 91]; from "Three Letters from Alexander Trocchi to Hugh MacDiarmid", as published in Trocchi's Invisible Insurrection of a Million Minds [p. 93]; in "Authors Disappointed with Edinburgh Conference" from The Times, 24 August 1962 [a quote from Burroughs, p. 137]; in "Future of Novel Discussed at Writers' Conference" from The Times, 25 August 1962 [p. 159]; in Edwin Morgan's "The Fold-In Conference" from Gambit, Autumn 1962 [pp. 166–168]; in Stephen Spender's "Letter from Edinburgh" from Encounter, October 1962 [pp. 169–170]; in Neal Ascherson's "Authors in Edinburgh" from The Observer, 26 August 1962 [p. 170]; in an interview between John Calder and Jim Haynes in Paris, 24 February 2012 [pp. 185–186]; in Andrew Hook's "The Writers' Conference" [p. 202]; and in Nick Phillipson's "That Memorable Edinburgh Festival" [p. 208].

Excerpts of William S. Burroughs's statements at the conference, from the transcript, can be found on pages 115–116 (on "censorship"), 118 (on "censorship"), 149–150 (on "the novel and the future"), 155–156 (on "the novel and the future"). Mary McCarthy's conference statements mention Burroughs on pages 48, 118, and 144. Colin MacInnes' conference statements mention Burroughs on pages 50 and151. Alexander Trocchi's conference statements mention Burroughs on page 108. Norman Mailer's conference statements mention Burroughs on pages 116, 117, 149, 150, 151, and 155.

Burroughs' quotes appear on pages 10, 116, and 152.

Photographs of William S. Burroughs by Alan Daiches appear throughout, including on the front cover and on pages 25, 26, 102, 125, 139, and 157. 

Burroughs is also mentioned in an ad for Olympia magazine, reproduced on page 172.

Contents: 

• Alan Daiches: photographs
• Angela Bartie & Eleanor Bell: "The International Writers' Conference Revisited: Edinburgh, 1962" (introduction)
• "BEHIND THE SCENES":
• list of participants
• the conference "Programme & Notes" cover
• John Calder: "the first literary festival" (essay)
• John Calder: "Extracts from Pursuit: The Uncensored Memoirs of John Calder" essay)
• Jim Haynes: "The 1962 Writers' Conference" (essay)
• Alex Neish: A letter of invitation to Edwin Morgan
• Edwin Morgan: A thank-you letter to John Calder
• Charles Greville: "All that literary talent, writing polite refusals" (from Daily Mail, August 1962)
• "DAY 1":
• Day one speakers and selected highlights, "contrasts of approach"
• Transcript excerpts, Monday, 20 August 1962
• unstated: "Writers' Conference Draws an Audience of 2,000" (from The Times, 21 August 1962)
• "DAY 2":
• Day two speakers and selected highlights: "scottish writing today"
• Transcript excerpts, Tuesday, 21 August 1962
• Edwin Morgan: "The young writer in Scotland" (from the programme)
• unstated: "Authors' Meeting Breaks up with Song" (from The Times, 22 August 1962)
• Magnus Magnusson: "Scottish Writers Stage Their 'Civil War'" (from The Scotsman, 22 August 1962)
• unstated:"What Sort of Success?" (from Glasgow Herald, 25 August 1962)
• various: "Scots Writers Defended" (letters from The Scotsman, 27 August 1962)
• Christopher Small: "A Stormy Look at Scottish Writing" (from Glasgow Herald, 22 August 1962)
• unstated: "'Novel' Talks to Rotarians" (from Rutherglen Reformer, 26 October 1962)
• Hugh C. Rae: "International Writers' Conference" (from Scottish Field, October 1962)
• Naomi Mitchison: "Gave the Festival a Boost" (letter, from The Scotsman, 23 August 1963)
• Henry E. M. Macnicol: "'Debased city and festival'" (letter, from The Scotsman, 23 August 1963)
• Catharine Hotchkis: "Wanted: Plays that Uplift" (letter, from The Scotsman, 23 August 1963)
• Alexander Trocchi: "Three Letters from Alexander Trocchi to Hugh MacDiarmid" (from The Invisible Insurrection of a Million Minds)
• "DAY 3":
• Day three speakers and selected highlights: "commitment"
• Transcript excerpts, Wednesday, 22 August 1962
• unstated: "Writers with a Voice on Commitment" (from The Glasgow Herald, 23 August 1962)
• "DAY 4":
• Day four speakers and selected highlights: "censorship"
• Transcript excerpts, Thursday, 23 August 1962
• Colin MacInnes: "On Censorship" (essay, from the programme)
• William S. Burroughs: "Censorship" (from Transatlantic Review, issue 11, 1962)
• unstated: "Authors Disappointed with Edinburgh Conference" (from The Times, 24 August 1962)
• "DAY 5":
• Day five speakers and selected highlights: "the novel and the future"
• Transcript excerpts, Friday, 24 August 1962
• unstated: "Future of Novel Discussed at Writers' Conference" (from The Times, 25 August 1962)
• Angus Wilson, Nathalie Sarraute, Kingsley Amis, Neil Gunn, John Braine, Muriel Spark, Philip Toynbee, Harold Nicolson, and Julian Mitchell: questionnaire responses, from the programme
• "THE DUST SETTLES":
• Edwin Morgan: "The Fold-In Conference" (from Gambit, Autumn 1962)
• Stephen Spender: "Letter from Edinburgh" (from Encounter, October 1962)
• Neal Ascherson: "Authors in Edinburgh" (from The Observer, 26 August 1962)
• "REFLECTIONS":
• advertisement for Olympia
• advertisement for Jim Haynes' The Paperback Bookshop, Glasgow
• Angela Bartie, Eleanor Bell, John Calder, and Jim Haynes: "John Calder and Jim Haynes" (interview from Paris, 24 February 2012)
• Eleanor Bell and Angela Bartie: photograph
• Andrew Hook: "The Writers' Conference" (essay)
• Joan Lingard: "Reflection" (essay)
• Nick Phillipson: "That Memorable Edinburgh Festival" (essay)
• Jenni Calder: "Light in August, Edinburgh 1962" (essay)
• Angela Bartie, Eleanor Bell, and Alexander Moffat: "Alexander 'Sandy' Moffat" (interview, University of Strathclyde, 15 March 2002)
• Sandy Moffat: photographs
• Map
• Notes
• Author Acknowledgments
• Publisher's Credits
• About the Authors