Federica Giardino

14th January 2026

KILBRYDE: Raymond Burke’s new novel reviewed by Federica Giardino

Raymond Burke's new Bildungsroman about growing up in the new town of East Kilbride outdoes Scott and Gray at the same time: having the scope of both a historical novel and an existential modernist confession - Federica Giardino reviews...
13th December 2024

MAUD SULTER’S ‘You are my Kindred Spirit’ by Federica Giardino

Scottish artist Maud Sulter (1960-2008) worked in multi-media as a photographer, filmmaker, poet, playwright and visual artist. Born of Scottish and Ghanaian parentage, she was raised in the Gorbals in Glasgow by her Scottish mother, and much of her work - including that now on show at the Tramway - is an exploration of of her sexuality, gender and identity as a black woman. Federica Giardino reviews the show and ponders on the cultural richness and the 'poignant questions' her work highlights.
21st January 2022

US OR THEM:
Kelman’s ‘The State is Your Enemy’
Reviewed by Federica Giardino

Three new books by James Kelman have just been published by PM Press of California. This must be an exciting time for both Kelman fans and for Kelman Studies. One new novel, one collection of essays, and and a philosophical debate between Kelman and Noam Chomsky -it's a lot to chew on. So The Drouth is delighted to be producing the first reviews of these new works. The final piece in our Kelman series is a review of his new collection of essays by researcher and writer Federica Giardino.