William McIlvanney

William McIlvanney (born in November 25, 1936¹ in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland) is a writer of crime stories, novels, and poetry. McIlvanney is a champion of gritty yet poetic literature; his works "Laidlaw", "The Papers of Tony Veitch", and "Walking Wounded" are all known for their portrayal of Glasgow in the 1970s.

Biography

McIlvanney was born in the town of Kilmarnock, the son of a miner. He studied at Kilmarnock Academy and later at the University of Glasgow, after which he worked as an English teacher between 1960 and 1975. His first book, "Remedy is None", was published in 1966 and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. "Docherty" (1975), a moving portrait of a miner whose courage and endurance is tested during the depression, won the Whitbread Novel Award. "The Big Man" (1985), is the story of Dan Scoular, an unemployed man who turns to bare-knuckle fighting to make a living. Both novels feature typical McIlvanney characters - tough, often violent, men locked in a struggle with their own nature and background.

His novel, "The Kiln" (1996), is the story of Tam Docherty, the grandson of the hero of "Docherty". It won the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award. "The Big Man" (1985) was made into a film starring Liam Neeson and featuring Billy Connolly. "Laidlaw" (1977), "The Papers of Tony Veitch" (1983) and "Strange Loyalties" (1991) are crime novels featuring Inspector Jack Laidlaw. "Laidlaw" is considered to be the first book of Tartan Noir, despite the author calling the genre " [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/08/27/bomcil.xml ersatz] ".

William McIlvanney is also an acclaimed poet, and is the author of "The Longships in Harbour: Poems" (1970) and "Surviving the Shipwreck" (1991), which also contains pieces of journalism, including an essay about T. S. Eliot. His short story "Dreaming" (published in "Walking Wounded" in 1989) was filmed by BBC Scotland in 1990 and won a BAFTA. His brother is the sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney.

He was the narrator of The official history of Celtic football club in 1988.

Works (among others)

*"Remedy is None" - 1967
*"A Gift from Nessus" - 1968
*"The Longships in Harbour" - 1970 (poetry)
*"Docherty" - 1975
*"Laidlaw" - 1977
*"The Papers of Tony Veitch" - 1983
*"" - 1984
*"The Big Man" - 1985
*"In Through the Head" - 1988
*"Walking Wounded" - 1989 (short stories)
*"Shades of Grey – Glasgow 1956-1987" - 1990
*"Strange Loyalties" - 1991
*"Surviving the Shipwreck" - 1991
*"The Kiln" - 1996""
*"Weekend" - 2006""

Prizes and Awards

* 1967 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for "Remedy is None"
* 1968 Scottish Arts Council Book Award for "A Gift from Nessus"
* 1975 Scottish Arts Council Book Award for "Docherty"
* 1975 Whitbread Novel Award for "Docherty"
* 1977 Crime Writers' Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction for "Laidlaw"
* 1983 Crime Writers Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction for "The Papers of Tony Veitch"
* 1990 Glasgow Herald People's Prize for "Walking Wounded"
* 1990 BAFTA (screen adaptation): "Dreaming"
* 1996 Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award for "The Kiln"

References

*¹"William McIlvanney" in "Contemporary Authors Online", Gale Thomson, entry updated 4/23/2001.

ee also

*Allan Massie, a supporter of McIlvanney

External links

McIlvanney's work analysed:
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/arts/writingscotland/writers/william_mcilvanney/works.shtml] - BBC Scotland
* [http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/ScotLit/ASLS/Laverock-McIlvanney-2.html] Arts Glasgow
* [http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5019] Literary Encyclopedia
*contemporary writers|id=171
* [http://www.nls.uk/writestuff/index.html]