William McIlvanney

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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.

Contents

1 Biography
2 Works (among others)
3 Prizes and Awards
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

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 most recent 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) and The Papers of Tony Veitch (1983) are both crime novels.

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.

Works (among others)

Remedy is None - 1967
A Gift from Nessus - 1968
The Longships in Harbour (poetry) - 1970
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

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.

External links

McIlvanney's work analysed:

[link] - BBC Scotland
[link] Arts Glasgow
[link] Literary Encyclopedia
[William McIlvanney] at [www.contemporarywriters.com]