Andro Ian Robert Linklater (10 December 1944 – 3 November 2013) was a Scottish non-fiction writer and historian.
Life
He was the youngest son of
Eric Linklater
Eric Robert Russell Linklater CBE (8 March 1899 – 7 November 1974) was a Welsh-born Scottish poet, fiction writer, military historian, and travel writer. For ''The Wind on the Moon'', a children's fantasy novel, he won the 1944 Carnegie Meda ...
, a poet, and
Marjorie MacIntyre, an arts campaigner. His brother is journalist,
Magnus Linklater
Magnus Duncan Linklater, CBE (born 21 February 1942) is a Scottish journalist, writer, and former newspaper editor.
Early life and education
Linklater was born in Orkney, and is the son of Scottish writer Eric Linklater and arts campaigner Marjo ...
and his sisters are the voice expert
Kristin Linklater and painter Alison Linklater.
His nephew, son of Kristin, is film actor
Hamish Linklater
Hamish Linklater (born July 7, 1976) is an American actor and playwright. He is known for playing Matthew Kimble in '' The New Adventures of Old Christine'', Andrew Keanelly in ''The Crazy Ones'', and Clark Debussy in ''Legion''. He is the son of ...
.
He was educated at
Belhaven Hill School
Belhaven Hill School is an independent, co-educational preparatory school for boarding and day pupils aged 5 to 13 in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland.
The current headmaster is Olly Langton.
Notable former pupils
* Hugh Buchanan (artist), Sc ...
,
Winchester College
Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...
and
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...
, where he read Modern History.
At the end of the 1960s he lived in the United States, but returned to Britain to teach in Scotland and London, before turning to writing after his father's death in 1974.
His book ''Measuring America'' led to a series of books on American history, about which he was an eloquent speaker.
Linklater's book ''Why Spencer Perceval Had To Die'' focuses on the
assassination of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, looking at the conspiracy theories surrounding it, and revealing the historical context.
Antony Beevor
Sir Antony James Beevor, (born 14 December 1946) is a British military historian. He has published several popular historical works on the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War.
Early life
Born in Kensington, Beevor was educated at two ...
has called it "a beautifully written portrait".
His work appeared in ''Prospect Magazine'', ''The Spectator'', ''The Sunday Times'', ''The Guardian'', ''The Daily Telegraph'', ''Reader's Digest'' and ''Daily Mail''.
Linklater was married to photographer Marie-Louise Avery and lived in rural Kent. He had a heart attack after a day of typically strenuous cycling while researching his next book on the island of
Eigg
Eigg (; gd, Eige; sco, Eigg) is one of the Small Isles in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. It lies to the south of the Isle of Skye and to the north of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Eigg is long from north to south, and east to west. With an a ...
,
and died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary a week later. His obituary in ''The Times'' said that "He took time to help aspiring writers, wrote eloquent prayers to be recited in his church, and regularly took up the cudgels on behalf of local causes."
[''Andro Linklater'', Obituary, ''The Times'', 8 November 2013.]
Works
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* (1st edition 1990)
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References
External links
"Review of Andro Linklater's ''Measuring America''",''Cooperative Individualism''*
Linklater discusses ''The Fabric of America''at the
Pritzker Military Museum & Library
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and a research library for the study of military history on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The institution was founded in 2003, and its spe ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linklater, Andro
1944 births
2013 deaths
Alumni of New College, Oxford
People educated at Winchester College
People educated at Belhaven Hill School
Scottish journalists
Scottish non-fiction writers
British military historians
Linklater family