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Andrew Greig
Andrew Greig (born 23 September 1951) is a Scottish writer. He was born in Bannockburn, near Stirling, and grew up in Anstruther, Fife. He studied philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and is a former Glasgow University Writing Fellow and Scottish Arts Council Scottish/Canadian Exchange Fellow. He lives in Orkney and Edinburgh and is married to author Lesley Glaister. Awards He won an Eric Gregory Award in 1972. In 1985, Greig published an account of the successful ascent of the Muztagh Tower in the Himalayas. ''Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber'' was shortlisted for the 1996 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. His first novel, '' Electric Brae: A Modern Romance'' (1992), was shortlisted for the McVitie's Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year. His next novel, '' The Return of John MacNab'' (1996) was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Award. His fifth novel, '' In Another Light'' (2004), won the 2004 Saltire Society Scottish Boo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bannockburn
Bannockburn (Scottish Gaelic ''Allt a' Bhonnaich'') is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing into the River Forth. History Land in the vicinity of Bannockburn town, probably between the Pelstream and Bannock burns (hence Bannockburn), was the site of the Battle of Bannockburn fought in 1314—one of the pivotal battles of the 13th/14th century Wars of Independence between the kingdoms of Scotland and England. A large monument and visitor centre is located near the site of the battle. In previous generations tourists came to visit the site and look at the Borestone. The dignity of the barony of Bannockburn is currently held by Hope Vere Anderson, a descendant of the Sandilands and Vere families of Sandilands and Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire who were the original Barons of Bannockburn in the 14th century. In the year of 1746, after the B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waterstone's
Waterstones, formerly Waterstone's, is a British book retailer that operates 311 shops, mainly in the United Kingdom and also other nearby countries. As of February 2014, it employs around 3,500 staff in the UK and Europe. An average-sized Waterstones shop sells a range of approximately 30,000 individual books, as well as stationery and other related products. Established in 1982 by Tim Waterstone, after whom the company was named, the bookseller expanded rapidly until being sold in 1993 to WHSmith. In 1998, Waterstones was bought by a consortium of Waterstone, EMI and Advent International. The company was taken under the umbrella of HMV Group, which later merged the Dillons and Ottakar's brands into the company. Following several poor sets of results for the group, HMV put the chain up for sale. In May 2011, it was announced that A&NN Capital Fund Management, owned by Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut, had bought the chain for £53.5m and appointed James Daunt as managing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1951 Births
Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United Kingdom announces abandonment of the Tanganyika groundnut scheme for the cultivation of peanuts in the Tanganyika Territory, with the writing off of £36.5M debt. * January 15 – In a court in West Germany, Ilse Koch, The "Witch of Buchenwald", wife of the commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp, is sentenced to life imprisonment. * January 20 – Winter of Terror: Avalanches in the Alps kill 240 and bury 45,000 for a time, in Switzerland, Austria and Italy. * January 21 – Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea erupts catastrophically, killing nearly 3,000 people and causing great devastation in Oro Province. * January 25 – Dutch author Anne de Vries releases the first volume of his children's novel '' Journey Through ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander Scott (20th-century Poet)
Alexander Scott (1920–1989) was a Scottish poet, playwright and scholar born in Aberdeen. He wrote poetry in both Scots and Scottish English as well as plays, literary reviews and critical studies of literature. As a writer, scholar, dramatist, broadcaster, critic and editor, he showed a life-long commitment to Scottish literary culture. He was latterly a tutor and reader of Scottish literature at the University of Glasgow, where he was instrumental in establishing Scotland's first Department of Scottish Literature in the academic year 1971–72. In 1972, Scott was one of the founders of the Lallans Society (later the Scots Language Society). He was a member of its committee from the outset and served as Preses from 1974 to 1977 and from 1979 to 1983. He also served as president of the Association for Scottish Literary Studies from 1976 to 1979. In 1985 he succeeded Robert McLellan as Honorary Preses.Purves, David, ''Obituary: Alexander Scott'', in ''Lallans'' Nummer 33, Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romanno Bridge
''Romanno Bridge'' is the sixth novel by Scottish writer Andrew Greig. Plot summary The book is a sequel to Greig's second novel, '' The Return of John MacNab''. It reunites the main characters from the previous book, and teams them with a half-Maori rugby player and a busker from Oslo, in a quest for the Stone of Scone. The action takes place mainly in Scotland, but it also includes sections set in Norway and England. Like ''The Return of John MacNab'', this novel is something of a homage to the stories of John Buchan, although the connection is not made explicit this time around. See also * Novel in Scotland The novel in Scotland includes all long prose fiction published in Scotland and by Scottish authors since the development of the literary format in the eighteenth century. The novel was soon a major element of Scottish literary and critical life. T ... 2008 British novels Novels by Andrew Greig Scottish novels Novels set in Scotland Sequel novels Quercus (p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
That Summer (Andrew Greig)
''That Summer'' is the fourth novel by Scottish writer Andrew Greig. It was retitled ''The Clouds Above: A Novel of Love and War'' for the U.S. market. Plot summary It is June 1940. Working class Len Westbourne, an inexperienced fighter pilot, falls in love with Stella Gardam, a more worldly radar operator. Stella's friend Maddy is killed in a bombing raid and Len's squadron colleague, Polish pilot Tad, dies in a flying accident. Told in alternate chapters from the perspectives of Len and Stella, ''That Summer'' is a love story told against the background of the Battle of Britain. Len is injured when his Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ... crashes and goes off to recuperate with Stella in the countryside. External linksBio 2000 British novels ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
When They Lay Bare
''When They Lay Bare'' (1999) is the third novel by Scottish writer Andrew Greig. Plot summary A mysterious young woman moves into deserted Crawhill cottage on the estate of Sir Simon Elliot in the Scottish Borders. He fears she is the daughter of his mistress: "If it wasn't the child, Sim wondered, who was she and what the hell was she doing moving into Crawhill? And if it was her, what had she came back for, why had she not come to see him? Instead she had taken up residence in the cottage and waited. What did the lassie want with Davy?" The novel is based around a set of antique plates that the young woman brings with her, depicting the Border Ballads, "Twa Corbies "The Three Ravens" () is an English folk ballad, printed in the song book ''Melismata'' compiled by Thomas Ravenscroft and published in 1611, but it is perhaps older than that. Newer versions (with different music) were recorded right up through ..." and " Barbara Allen". References External links An ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathleen Jamie
Kathleen Jamie FRSL (born 13 May 1962) is a Scottish poet and essayist. In 2021 she became Scotland's fourth Makar. Life and work Kathleen Jamie is a poet and essayist. Raised in Currie, near Edinburgh, she studied philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, publishing her first poems as an undergraduate. Her writing is rooted in Scottish landscape and culture, and ranges through travel, women's issues, archaeology and visual art. She writes in English and occasionally in Scots. left, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Jamie in 2021 Jamie's collections include ''The Queen of Sheba'' (1995). Her 2004 collection ''The Tree House'' revealed an increasing interest in the natural world. This book won the Forward Poetry Prize and the Scottish Book of the Year Award. ''The Overhaul'' was published in September 2012. It won the 2012 Costa poetry award. For the last decade Jamie has also written non-fiction. Her collections of essays ''Findings'' and ''Sightlines'' are considered inf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catherine Czerkawska
Catherine Lucy Czerkawska, (born 3 December 1950) is a Scottish-based novelist and playwright. She has written many plays for the stage and for BBC Radio 4 and has published numerous novels and short stories. ''Wormwood'' – about the Chernobyl disaster – was produced at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre in 1997, while her novel ''The Curiosity Cabinet'' was shortlisted for the Dundee Book Prize in 2005. Early life Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, to Julian Czerkawski and Kathleen Sunter, she attended Holy Family Primary School and Notre Dame Grammar School. The family moved to Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1962 where she attended Queen Margaret Academy in Ayr. After graduating from Edinburgh University with an honours degree in English Language and Literature with Mediaeval Studies, got a master's degree in Folk Life Studies at the University of Leeds. Her research dissertation on fishing traditions in South Ayrshire was the basis for her study ''Fisherfolk of Carrick'', published in 1976, a w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walter Scott Prize
The Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010.Walter Scott Prize , bordersbookfestival.org. Retrieved April 2012. At £25,000, it is one of the largest literary awards in the UK. The award was created by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, whose ancestors were closely linked to Scottish author , who is generally considered the originator of historical fiction with the novel '' Waverley Waverley may refer t ...
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Saltire Society Literary Awards
The Saltire Society Literary Awards are made annually by the Saltire Society. The awards seek to recognise books which are either by "living authors of Scottish descent or residing in Scotland," or which deal with "the work or life of a Scot or with a Scottish question, event or situation." The awards have been described as "the premiere prize for writing by Scots or about Scotland." The first Saltire Society Book Award was given in 1937, the year after the Saltire Society was established. No awards were given after 1939 due to the Second World War, and the next award was made 1956. The History Book of the Year award was inaugurated in 1965. In 1982 sponsorship was obtained and since then the awards have been made annually. First books have been recognised since 1988, and in 1998 the award for Scottish Research Book of the Year was established. The Saltire Society currently presents awards in the seven following categories: * Scottish Book of the Year * Scottish First Book of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saltire Society
The Saltire Society is a membership organisation which aims to promote the understanding of the culture and heritage of Scotland. Founded in 1936, the society was "set up to promote and celebrate the uniqueness of Scottish culture and Scotland’s heritage, and to reclaim Scotland’s place as a distinct contributor to European and international culture." The society organises lectures and publishes pamphlets, and presents a series of awards in the fields of art, architecture, literature and history. The society is based in Edinburgh, with branches in Aberdeen, Dumfries, Glasgow, Helensburgh, the Highlands, Kirriemuir and New York City. The current president is the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, Sally Mapstone. History The society was founded on 22 April 1936 in Glasgow, conceived by Andrew Dewar Gibb and George Malcolm Thomson. Subscription for a year cost five shillings. By the early 1950s the society had almost 2000 members. In 1954 they launc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
