William McIlvanney

William McIlvanney (born on 25 November 1936 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.

Life and career

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 "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 BBC Scotland football documentary Only a Game? in 1986, and 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
• These Words: Weddings and After - 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. Sceptre. 2006. ISBN 9780340657379. 

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

See also

• Allan Massie

External links

McIlvanney's work analysed:

• [1] McLuckie, Craig. Researching McIlvanney. A Critical and Bibliographic Introduction',' 'Scottish Studies International' 28 (Scottish Studies Centre of the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz in Germersheim), 1999.
• Writing Scotland: William McIlvanney: Writing Scotland, BBC Scotland
• Natural Loyalties: The Work of William McIlvanney: Association for Scottish Literary Studies
• William McIlvanney’s Laidlaw Novels: Association for Scottish Literary Studies
• Newton, Ken. "William McIlvanney": Literary Encyclopedia
• William McIlvanney at Contemporary Writers
• William McIlvanney: The Write Stuff, National Library of Scotland
• [2] McLuckie, Craig. "Postcolonial Resistance: Class, Gender and Race in McIlvanney's The Big Man," Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses (RCEI) 2002; 45: 151-67.
• [3] McLuckie, Craig. "William McIlvanney and the Provocative Witness: Resistance in the 'Laidlaw' Trilogy," Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses (RCEI) 2000 Nov; 41: 87-101.