Andrew Greig (born 23 September 1951) is a Scottish writer. He was born in

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 i ...

, near

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, and grew up in Anstruther, Fife. He studied philosophy at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

and is a former Glasgow University Writing Fellow and

Scottish Arts Council The Scottish Arts Council ( gd, Comhairle Ealain na h-Alba, sco, Scots Airts Cooncil) was a Scottish public body responsible for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland. The Council primarily distributed funding from the ...

Scottish/Canadian Exchange Fellow. He lives in Orkney and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

and is married to author

Lesley Glaister Lesley Glaister (born 4 October 1956,) is a British novelist, poet and playwright. She has written 15 novels, ''Blasted Things'' (2020) being the most recent, one play and numerous short stories and radio plays. She is a lecturer in creative writ ...

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 The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

. ''Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber'' was shortlisted for the 1996

Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature The Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature is an annual prize of £3,000 awarded by the Boardman Tasker Charitable Trust to an author or authors for "an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature". The pr ...

. 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 The Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) is the professional body that represents authors of romantic fiction in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1960 by Denise Robins (first president), Barbara Cartland (first vice-president), Vivian Stuar ...

Award. His fifth novel, '' In Another Light'' (2004), won the 2004

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 ...

Scottish Book of the Year Award. ''Fair Helen'' was shortlisted for the

Walter Scott Prize The Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction is a British literary award founded in 2010.Walter Sc ...

(2014).

Published work

Poetry

*''White Boats'' (with

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 Chernoby ...

) (1973) *''Men On Ice'' (Canongate 1977) *''Surviving Passages'' (Canongate 1982) *''A Flame in your Heart'' (with

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 ...

) (Bloodaxe 1987) *''The Order of the Day'' (Bloodaxe 1989) *''Western Swing'' (Bloodaxe c. 1993) *''Into You'' (Bloodaxe 2000) *''This Life, This Life'' (new and Selected Poems) (Bloodaxe 2006) *''Getting Higher: The Complete Mountain Poems'' (Birlinn 2011)

Climbing

*''Men on Ice'' (1977) *''Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber'' (1985) *''Kingdoms of Experience: Everest, the Unclimbed Ridge'' (1986) *''The Order of the Day'' (1990)

Non-Fiction

*''Preferred Lies: A Journey to the Heart of Scottish Golf'' (2006) *''At the Loch of the Green Corrie'' (2010)

Fiction

*'' Electric Brae: A Modern Romance'' (1992) *'' The Return of John MacNab'' (1996) *'' When They Lay Bare'' (1999) *'' That Summer'' (2000) (published as ''The Clouds Above : A Novel of Love and War'' in some markets) *'' In Another Light'' (2004) *'' Romanno Bridge'' (2008) *''Fair Helen'' (2013) *''Rose Nicolson'' (2021)

Articles

*''A White Elephant in Anstruther'', in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), ''The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment'' 32, November 1983,

References

External links

Andrew Greig's website

BAC entry

Interview with Andrew Greig (2 Dec 2010)