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Sat 11 Nov 2002Lighting a fuseCONFERENCE REPORT: Scots are bigoted and self-pitying wrote Andrew O'Hagan in the 'London Review of Books'. The ensuing controversy made for a lively conference on Scottish literature at Trinity College, writes Belinda McKeonA literary event which buzzed with an import and urgency more typical of a political summit - something out of the ordinary was taking place as poets, critics and academics gathered in Trinity College, Dublin, last Saturday. Scottish Voices, a day of Scottish literature and talk, had been planned for four months, but its fuse was lit by Andrew O'Hagan, moderator of the event, in a controversial article in last month's London Review of Books. O'Hagan, a writer and critic, launched a scathing attack on Scotland, accusing it of bigotry, crippling self-pity and a refusal to take on autonomy or responsibility for the construction of its own nationhood.