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Docherty (novel)
''Docherty'' is the third novel by William McIlvanney, first published in 1975. Plot The book is set in a fictional mining town in Scotland in the early part of the 20th century, and it relates the struggles of a miner called Tam Docherty and his family. It opens with a prologue set in 1903 in which Tam's family and home are introduced and his wife Jenny gives birth to the youngest of her four children, Conn. Book One opens a few years later and provides a fuller introduction to the family. We learn that Tam is a lapsed Catholic while Jenny is a Protestant; we meet the eldest son Mick, the middle son Angus, the daughter Kathleen and her future husband Jack, as well as Jenny's father Mairtin and Tam's father, Old Conn, a devout Catholic. Tam has a hostile encounter with the Catholic priest Father Rankin. Kathleen marries Jack. Conn goes to school, where he is punished for fighting and using vernacular Scots. Conn knows of his father's respect for education, but "...against that w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William McIlvanney
William McIlvanney (25 November 1936 – 5 December 2015) was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet. He was known as Gus by friends and acquaintances. McIlvanney was 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. He is regarded as "the father of '' Tartan Noir''" and as Scotland's Camus. Biography McIlvanney was born in Kilmarnock on 25 November 1936, the youngest of four children of a former miner, and attended school at Kilmarnock Academy. He went on to study English at the University of Glasgow and graduated with an MA in 1960. McIlvanney then worked as an English teacher until 1975, when he left the position of assistant headmaster at Greenwood Academy to pursue his writing career. The writer's elder brother was the sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney. His son, Liam McIlvanney, is also a crime writer. In addition to his literary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |