Catrìona Lexy Chaimbeul (born 1982), also known as Catriona Lexy Campbell, is a Scottish poet, novelist, dramatist, and actor, working mainly in

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

Life

Chaimbeul was born into a well-known literary family in

Ness, Lewis Ness ( gd, Nis) is the northernmost part of the Isle of Lewis, a community consisting of about 16 villages, including Lionel, Lewis, Lionel, Habost, Swainbost, Cross, Lewis, Cross, North Dell, North and South Dell, Cross Skigersta, Skigersta, Eor ...

. Her father,

Tormod Caimbeul Tormod Caimbeul, (7 October 1942 – 2 May 2015) was a Scottish Gaelic novelist, poet, author of children's literature, and translator. He was known by his nickname "Tormod a' Bhocsair". He is recognised as one of the most important Gaelic writers ...

(also known as Tormod a' Bhocsair and Norman Campbell), and her uncle Alasdair Caimbeul are both published writers in Gaelic, as was her grandfather Aonghas Caimbeul (Am Bocsair) and her great-uncle,

war poet A war poet is a poet who participates in a war and writes about their experiences, or a non-combatant who writes poems about war. While the term is applied especially to those who served during the First World War, the term can be applied to a p ...

and award-winning

memoirist A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

Aonghas Caimbeul Aonghas Caimbeul (9 October 1903 – 28 January 1982), alias Am Puilean, was a Scottish Gaelic Bard, war poet, and memoirist. Early life Caimbeul was born on 9 October 1903 at Swainbost, Ness, Lewis, Ness, Isle of Lewis, where his family had liv ...

(Am Puilean). Her mother, Mary Jane Campbell, is a Gaelic

Traditional singer A traditional singer, also known as a source singer, is someone who has learned folk songs in the oral tradition, usually from older people within their community. From around the beginning of the twentieth century, song collectors such as Cecil ...

. Chaimbeul attended 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 ...

(

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Mental Philosophy). She worked as an actor and tutor in Gaelic drama, including two years with

Eden Court Theatre Eden Court Theatre (Scottish Gaelic: Cùirt an Easbaig) is a large theatre, cinema and arts venue situated in Inverness, Scotland close to the banks of the River Ness. The theatre has recently undergone a complete refurbishment and major exten ...

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

as the Gaelic Drama Artist for

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

and

Lochalsh Lochalsh is a district of mainland Scotland that is currently part of the Highland (council area), Highland council area. The Lochalsh district covers all of the mainland either side of Loch Alsh - and of Loch Duich - between Loch Carron and Loch ...

,Scottish Book Trust profile: Catrìona Lexy Chaimbeul
/ref> and in 2011-12 was the Gaelic Associate Artist at the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

. The family's connection with

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig () (Great Barn of Ostaig) is a public higher education college situated in the Sleat peninsula in the south of the Isle of Skye, with an associate campus at Bowmore on the island of Islay, Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle (the ...

, the National Centre for the Gaelic Language and Culture, now part of the

University of the Highlands and Islands , type = federal, public , image_name = UHI Coat of Arms.jpg , image_size = 150px , established = 2011 – University status 1992 – UHI Millennium Institute , chancellor = The Princess Royal , vice_chancellor = , budget = £139m (2022 ...

, has included periods as

writer-in-residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

for both Tormod and Alasdair Caimbeul, and Mary Jane is a lecturer at the centre. In January 2013 Catrìona was appointed for a one-year term as writer-in-residence at Sabhal Mòr.Sabhal Mòr Ostaig press release
January 2013

Prizes and awards

*2006

Wigtown Book Festival The Wigtown Book Festival is a ten-day literary festival held each autumn in Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. The festival was first held in 1999 and has grown to be the second biggest book festival in Scotland. In 2007 the Wig ...

Gaelic poetry prize

Bibliography

Chaimbeul has described the major themes of her work as being "inter-personal relationships, secrets and lies, and the supernatural". Novels: * (as Catriona Lexy Campbell) * * * Children's books: * * * * Stage plays: * * Educational publications: * In December 2012 BBC Scotland broadcast a play based on her novel ''Samhraidhean Dìomhair''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaimbeul, Catriona 1983 births Living people Scottish Gaelic women poets Scottish Gaelic poets 21st-century Scottish Gaelic poets Scottish Gaelic dramatists and playwrights Scottish women dramatists and playwrights Scottish Gaelic novelists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Sabhal Mòr Ostaig People from the Isle of Lewis 21st-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish writers 21st-century Scottish women writers Scottish Gaelic women writers Scottish Gaelic writers 21st-century Scottish actresses