Open the Door! by Catherine Carswell. Pop-Up Book Group

Catherine Carswell was part of the Scottish Renaissance as a novelist, biographer and journalist. 

She made headlines many times in her life with her honest depiction of Robert Burns' character, rather than his legend and poetry, she was fired from the Glasgow Herald after writing a favourable review of The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence and bypassing the editors to get it in print and she made legal history in by getting her marriage annulled after she proved that her husband was mentally ill before they were engaged and could not have been aware of what he was doing marrying her. 

Catherine wrote two novels, Open the Door! and The Camomile, both books are not autobiographical but reflect many of the thoughts and feelings and navigating early life and a young middle class women at the turn of the 20th century. Although celebrated at points during and after her life, Catherine is still not know widely outside of academic and literary circles.  

Catherine was born and died in March and we'll be celebrating her life, works, and letters through March and April as we celebrate International Women's History Month and the city celebrates in 850th anniversary. 

The Mitchell Library and the Glasgow School of Art along Sauchiehall Street both feature in Catherine's writing.

Hosted with The Feminist Book Club (who meet in the The Mitchell Library) a pop up book group will be using Open the Door! for discussion about Catherine, women in Glasgow and Sauchiehall street's past and being part of its future. 

Copies of Open the Door! and The Camomile are available at The Mitchell Library. 

We will be meeting in the Sauchiehall Street Culture and Heritage District project hub at Edward House, 199 Sauchiehall Street from 6.30pm to 9pm.