Allan Johnstone Massie (born 16 October 1938) is a Scottish journalist, columnist, sports writer and novelist. He is a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, th ...

. He has lived in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

for the last 25 years, and now lives in Selkirk.

Early life

Born in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, where his father was a rubber planter for

Sime Darby Sime Darby Berhad () is a Malaysian trading conglomerate. Its core businesses operate and serve in the industrial, motors and logistics sectors as well as the healthcare, and insurance segments. Background The modern Sime Darby Berhad corpor ...

, Massie spent his childhood in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

. He was educated at Drumtochty Castle preparatory school and

Glenalmond College Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. T ...

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

before going on to attend

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he read history.

Career

Journalist

Massie is a journalist and critic of fiction, writing regular columns for ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'', ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'' (Scotland) and the Scottish ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

''. He has been ''The Scotsman's'' chief fiction reviewer for a quarter of a century and also regularly writes about

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

for that paper. He has previously been a columnist for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', the ''

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

,'' and was the Sunday Standard's television critic during that paper's brief existence. He is also a contributor to ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' - where he writes an occasional column, Life and Letters - the ''

Literary Review ''Literary Review'' is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at the University of Edinburgh. Its offices are on Lexington Street in Soho. The magazine was edited for fourteen years by v ...

'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

,'' and ''

The Catholic Herald The ''Catholic Herald'' is a London-based Roman Catholic monthly newspaper and starting December 2014 a magazine, published in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and, formerly, the United States. It reports a total circulation of abo ...

''. He has also written for the ''

New York Review of Books New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

''. His conservative political outlook is apparent, despite the then decline of

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

influence in Scotland. He was a leading, if lonely, campaigner against

Scottish devolution Devolution is the process in which the central British parliament grants administrative powers (excluding principally reserved matters) to the devolved Scottish Parliament. Prior to the advent of devolution, some had argued for a Scottish Parl ...

, and a critic of much of the legislation passed by the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...

since its establishment in 1999. Though initially in favour of greater devolutionary powers for Scotland, his views on devolution changed during the Thatcher years and he came to regret his support for the 1979 devolution referendum. In his literary reviews, his preferences lie towards traditional novels rather than the avant-garde. He is a great admirer of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

(and a past president of the Sir Walter Scott Club). Among contemporary novelists, he is a champion of the Russian writer

Andreï Makine Andreï Sergueïevitch Makine (russian: Андрей Серге́евич Макин; born 10 September 1957) is a French novelist. He also publishes under the pseudonym Gabriel Osmonde.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'', ' ...

. Though he has criticised

Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer. His 1993 novel '' Trainspotting'' was made into a film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, and directed several short fil ...

and

James Kelman James Kelman (born 9 June 1946) is a Scottish novelist, short story writer, playwright and essayist. His novel '' A Disaffection'' was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 1989. Kelman won ...

, he has admired some of the latter's work, arguing that Kelman is an important voice for a section of society often ignored in literary fiction.

Novelist

He is the author of nearly 30 books, including 20 novels. He is notable for writing about the distant past, and the middle class, rather than grittier elements of the present. The most successful of his novels, at least in terms of sales, have been a series of reconstructed autobiographies or biographies of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

political figures, including

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

and

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

's Heirs.

Gore Vidal Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (; born Eugene Louis Vidal, October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012) was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, erudition, and patrician manner. Vidal was bisexual, and in his novels and ...

called him a "master of the long-ago historical novel." His most recent book is ''The Thistle and the Rose'', a series of essays on the often thorny relationship between Scotland and England, in which he takes a strong Unionist viewpoint. His 1989 novel about

Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

, ''A Question of Loyalties'', won the

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 ...

's Scottish Book of the Year award - an award he has been shortlisted for more than once. ''The Sins of the Fathers'' (1991) caused a controversy when

Nicholas Mosley Nicholas Mosley, 3rd Baron Ravensdale, 7th Baronet, MC, FRSL (25 June 1923 – 28 February 2017) was an English novelist. Life Mosley was born in London in 1923. He was the eldest son of Sir Oswald Mosley, 6th Baronet, a British politician, ...

resigned from the judging panel for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

, protesting that none of his books (of which Massie's was the favourite) made it on to the shortlist (

Martin Amis Martin Louis Amis (born 25 August 1949) is a British novelist, essayist, memoirist, and screenwriter. He is best known for his novels ''Money'' (1984) and ''London Fields'' (1989). He received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his memoir '' ...

' ''Time's Arrow'' edged out Massie's novel for the final spot on the six book list). Those two novels, and ''Shadows of Empire'' constitute a loose trilogy in which a constant concern is the potential danger of idealism and

ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...

, as well as the struggle to lead a decent personal life in indecent political times. In 2009, Massie brought out what he calls "a private novel" (i.e. an examination of private morality rather than the large political or "public" dilemmas examined in his other contemporary novels). This innovative work, ''Surviving'', is set in Rome and concerns a group of English-speaking alcoholics and the intensity of their friendships. It is also a highly personal work, reflecting the author's own experience of Italy in the seventies, although the book is set in the nineties. His 2010 novel, ''Death in Bordeaux'', sees Massie return to Vichy France in the first of a trilogy. Other works include critical studies of

Muriel Spark Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (née Camberg; 1 February 1918 – 13 April 2006). was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. Life Muriel Camberg was born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, the daughter of Bernard Camberg, an ...

and

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

as well as histories of Edinburgh and Glasgow and '' A Portrait of Scottish Rugby''. Massie was appointed Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the

2013 Birthday Honours The 2013 Birthday Honours were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of ...

for services to literature.

All-time Scotland XV

Massie is a keen rugby fan and writer, and came up with an all time XV in 1984.Massie (1984), p195 Firstly, he excludes any players from before 1951, as he says it is unfair to judge the abilities of players without having been able to see them for himself, and secondly, his list, being published in the mid 80s excludes most of the people involved in the 1990 Grand Slam: * Backline: Andy Irvine, Arthur Smith,

Jim Renwick Jim Renwick (born 12 February 1952) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He played at Centre.Bath, p154 Rugby Union career Amateur career He played for Hawick Harlequins and then moved to play for Hawick. Provincial care ...

Ken Scotland Kenneth James Forbes Scotland (29 August 1936 – 7 January 2023) was a Scotland international rugby union player and a Scotland international cricket player. He played at full-back in rugby union.Bath, p157 Rugby Union career Amateur career ...

Roger Baird Roger Baird (born 12 April 1960 in Kelso, Scotland) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. Rugby Union career Amateur career Baird attended St. Mary's School, Melrose and Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh. Both schools ...

; * Half backs John Rutherford,

Roy Laidlaw Roy James Laidlaw (born 5 October 1953) is a former Scotland international rugby union player.Bath, pp145, 146 Rugby Union career Amateur career Much of his domestic rugby was played with Jed-Forest RFC, who were in the Scottish Second Divi ...

; * Forwards: Hugh McLeod,

Colin Deans Colin Thomas Deans (born 3 May 1955) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. Rugby Union career Amateur career He was born in Hawick in the Scottish borders. He played for Hawick Trades and then Hawick.Bath, p133 His nickname w ...

Sandy Carmichael Alexander Bennett Carmichael Order of the British Empire, MBE (2 February 1944 – 27 October 2021) was a Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland international rugby union player.Bath, p123-4Massie, p169 Rugby Union career Amateur career ...

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

Alastair McHarg Alastair McHarg (born 17 June 1944) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He played at Lock for the national side between 1968 and 1979.Bath, p147 Rugby Union career Amateur career Like Ian McLauchlan and Gordon Brown who we ...

Douglas Elliot Douglas Elliot (18 April 1923 – 12 March 2005) also known as W.I.D. Elliot and Doug(ie) Elliot was a Scottish international rugby union player, who played for .Massie, p.185 He was six feet three inches and over fourteen stone.Massie, p.18 ...

Jim Telfer James Telfer (born 17 March 1940) is a Scottish former rugby union coach and player. As a player, he won 21 international caps in the amateur era, also having a career as a headmaster at Hawick High School and Galashiels Academy and Forrester H ...

(captain), David Leslie He also supplies a list of reserves: *

Jock Turner John "Jock" William Cleet Turner (28 September 1943 – 19 May 1992) was a international rugby union footballer.Bath, p162 His regular playing positions were fly-half, centre and fullback. Turner was capped twenty times for Scotland between 1 ...

David Chisholm David Chisholm ( St. Boswells, 23 January 1937 – Borders, 27 July 1998) was a Scottish rugby union player.Bath, p. 138 He played as a fly-half. He had 14 caps for Scotland, from 1964 to 1968, scoring 1 try and 4 drop goals, 15 points on aggre ...

Alex Hastie Alexander James Hastie (29 July 1935 – 7 June 2010), also known as Alex Hastie or Eck Hastie was a Scotland international rugby union player. He played at Scrum-half; and was commonly linked with David Chisholm, his pairing at Fly-half for ...

, David Rollo,

Norman Bruce Norman Bruce (28 June 1932 – 28 March 1992) was a Scotland rugby union international player. Rugby Union career Amateur career Bruce first played for Gala YM and then Gala. The Berwickshire News and General Advertiser of 1 February 1955 note ...

, Iain Paxton Players that Massie includes in his early selection, but not in the final team include: *

Ian Laughland Iain Hugh Page Laughland (29 October 1935 – 9 August 2020) was a Scottish international rugby union player.Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, fie ...

Ian McGeechan Sir Ian Robert McGeechan, OBE (born 30 October 1946) is a retired Scottish rugby union player, coach and teacher. Born in Leeds, McGeechan represented Headingley as his only club during a 15-year club career, qualifying for Scotland through hi ...

, Robertson,

David Johnston David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commis ...

; Aitken, Milne, Bruce, Laidlaw, Mike Campbell-Lamerton, Peter Brown, Tomes, Cuthbertson, Jim Greenwood,

Ron Glasgow Ronnie Glasgow OBE was a Scotland international rugby union player.Bath, p140 Rugby Union career Amateur career He played for Dunfermline, and Gordonians, as well as Jordanhill and Haddington. Allan Massie stated: :''"It was his misfort ...

Derrick Grant Derrick Grant (born 19 April 1938) is a former international rugby union player. Grant was capped fourteen times as a flanker for between 1965 and 1968. He scored one try for Scotland.Griffiths, page 2:30-2:31 He was selected for the 1966 ...

Rodger Arneil Rodger Arneil (born 1 May 1944) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He was played on two British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of ...

, Jim Calder.

Awards

Massie has received the following awards: *

Scottish Arts Council Book Award The Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards, formerly known as the Scottish Arts Council Book Awards, were a series of literary awards in Scotland that ran from 1972 to 2013. Organised by Creative Scotland (formerly the Scottish Arts Counci ...

for ''The Death of Men'' (1982) * Frederick Niven Literary Award for ''The Last Peacock'' (1980)

Bibliography

Novels

*''Change and Decay in All Around I See'' - (1978) *''The Last Peacock'' - (1980) *''The Death of Men'' - (1981) *''One Night in Winter'' - (1984) *''

'' (1986) *''A Question of Loyalties'' - (1989) *''The Hanging Tree'' - (1990) *''

'' - (1991) *''The Sins of the Father'' - (1991) *''

'' - (1993) *''The Ragged Lion'' - (1994) *''These Enchanted Woods'' (sequel to ''The Last Peacock'') - (1993) *'' King David (novel)'' - (1995) *'' Shadows of Empire'' - (1997) *''Antony'' - (1997) *''Nero's Heirs'' - (1999) *''The Evening of the World'' - (2001) *''

'' - (2003) *''Arthur the King'' - (2004) *''Charlemagne and Roland'' - (2007) *''

Surviving Survival skills are techniques that a person may use in order to sustain life in any type of natural environment or built environment. These techniques are meant to provide basic necessities for human life which include water, food, and shelt ...

'' - (2009) *''Klaus: and other stories'' - (2010) *''Death in Bordeaux'' - (2010) *''Dark Summer in Bordeaux'' - (2012) *''Cold Winter in Bordeaux'' - (2014) *''End Games in Bordeaux'' - (2015)

Non-Fiction

*''Muriel Spark'' - (1979) *''Ill Met by Gaslight: Five Edinburgh Murders'' - (1980) *''The Caesars'' - (1983) *''Aberdeen: Portrait of a City'' - (1984) *''A Portrait of Scottish Rugby'' (Polygon, Edinburgh; ) - (1984) *''Colette'' - (1986) *''101 Great Scots'' - (1987) *''Byron's Travels'' - (1988) *''The Novelist's View of the Market Economy'' - (1988) *''How Should Health Services be Financed?: A Patient’s View'' - (1988) *''Glasgow: Portraits of a City'' - (1989) *''The Novel Today: A Critical Guide to the British Novel, 1970-1989'' - (1990) *''Edinburgh'' - (1994) *''The History of Selkirk Merchant Company 1694 - 1994'' - (1994) *''The Thistle and the Rose: Six Centuries of Love and Hate Between the Scots and the English'' - (2005) *''The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family That Shaped Britain'' - (2010)

Edited books

*''Edinburgh and the Borders: In Verse'' - (1983) *''P.E.N. New Fiction II'' - (1987)

The History Man columns in ''Scots Heritage Magazine''

Book Reviews

Reviews

* McKie, Dave (1980), review of ''The Last Peacock'', in Bold, Christine (ed.), ''

Cencrastus ''Cencrastus'' was a magazine devoted to Scottish and international literature, arts and affairs, founded after the Referendum of 1979 by students, mainly of Scottish literature at Edinburgh University, and with support from Cairns Craig, then a ...

'' No. 3, Summer 1980, pp. 42 & 43

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Massie, Allan 1938 births 1930s births Living people Scottish columnists People educated at Glenalmond College People educated at Drumtochty Castle Preparatory School Scottish journalists Scottish novelists Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Rugby union journalists Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Scots Heritage Magazine people Scottish sportswriters Scottish political commentators The Spectator people British social commentators Singaporean emigrants to the United Kingdom