BEGINS the event blurb: “Long and affectionately known as ‘Auld Reekie’, Edinburgh underwent a remarkable change of identity around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Moving away from its association with smoky streets, the city became known as ‘Modern Athens’ and later, more famously, ‘The Athens of the North’. But to what extent was this an accurate description?
“Join literary and cultural historian, Dr Iain Gordon Brown, author of the recent major study Auld Greekie: Edinburgh as the Athens of the North, as he explores how this change in perception took place.
“Basing his talk on his new book, he will examine why many Edinburgh citizens came to see themselves as ‘Modern Athenians’, discuss whether this was a physical, intellectual, or spiritual change, and look at how this “rebrand” was received more widely.”