John Herdman (author)

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John Macmillan Herdman (born 20 July 1941) is a Scottish novelist, short story writer and literary critic. He is the author of seventeen books including five novels and various works of shorter fiction, a play, two critical studies and a memoir, and he has contributed to twenty other books. His work has been translated, broadcast and anthologized, and taught at universities in France, Australia and Russia.

Life and career

John Herdman was born in Edinburgh and educated there at Merchiston Castle School, and then at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a double first in English in 1963 and afterwards did research in Scottish literature. At a later date he returned to Cambridge to study church history for a Diploma in Theology, and in 1988 was awarded his Cambridge Ph.D for his published critical work. In the late 1960s and 1970s he was much involved in Scottish nationalism, both political and literary, a period recalled in his memoirs ''Poets, Pubs, Polls and Pillar Boxes'' (Akros, 1999) and ''Another Country'' (Thirsty Books, 2013). He has held a Creative Writing Fellowship at Edinburgh University (1977–79), Hawthornden Writer’s Fellowships (1989 and 1995), and the William Soutar Fellowship in Perth (1990–91), and has been Writer in Residence at Champlain College, Trent University, Canada (1998). He has received two Scottish Arts Council Book Awards and four bursaries. He is married and lives in Edinburgh.

Writing

As a fiction writer, Herdman’s main publications have been ''Descent'' (1968), ''A Truth Lover'' (1973), ''Memoirs of my Aunt Minnie / Clapperton'' (1974), ''Pagan’s Pilgrimage'' (1978), ''Stories Short and Tall'' (1979), ''Imelda and Other Stories'' (1993), ''Ghostwriting'' (1995), ''Four Tales'' (2000), ''The Sinister Cabaret'' (2001), and ''My Wife’s Lovers'' (2007). A French edition of Imelda appeared in 2006.

These works have been seen as continuing the tradition of James Hogg and R.L. Stevenson in Scottish fiction, but Herdman’s main affinities are perhaps with European writers of the nineteenth century and with Irish and European modernism.

His fictions have a metaphysical flavour and a preoccupation with psychological duality, as well as strong elements of the surreal, the satirical and the grotesque. The books were widely commented upon in Scotland on publication, and studies of interest include Macdonald Daly’s introduction to Four Tales (Zoilus Press, 2000), Jean Berton’s articles on ''Ghostwriting'' in Études Écossaises nos. 8 and 9 (Université de Stendhal-Grenoble 3, 2002 and 2003-4), and Maïca Sanconie’s Postface to the French edition of ''Imelda'' (Quidam Editeur, 2006). Herdman has been interviewed by Macdonald Daly in ''Southfields'' six point one (1999), and by Isobel Murray and Bob Tait in ''Scottish Writers Talking 3'' (John Donald, 2006). His plays ''Clapperton’s Day'' and ''Cruising'' were successfully produced on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1985 and 1997 respectively, the latter being published in 1997.

As critic, Herdman has published ''Voice Without Restraint: Bob Dylan’s Lyrics and their Background'' (London and New York, 1982; Japanese translation, Tokyo, 1983), and ''The Double in Nineteenth Century Fiction'' (London, 1990, and New York, 1991), and contributed to various critical volumes on Scottish literary subjects. He has written very widely on modern and contemporary Scottish writers, including Hugh MacDiarmid, Sorley MacLean, David Lindsay, William Soutar, Fionn MacColla, Norman MacCaig, Tom Scott, Duncan Glen and D.M. Black. He edited two volumes of ''The Third Statistical Account of Scotland'': Vol. 22 (The County of Berwick) (1992), and Vol. 28 (The County of Roxburgh) (1992). He is a past editor of ''Catalyst for the Scottish Viewpoint'', and between 2004 and 2012 was co-editor (with Walter Perrie) of ''Fras'' and Fras Publications.

Bibliography

Fiction

* ''Descent'' (1968)
* ''A Truth Lover'' (1973)
* ''Memoirs of my Aunt Minnie / Clapperton'' (1974)
* ''Pagan’s Pilgrimage'' (1978)
* ''Stories Short and Tall'' (1979)
* ''Imelda and Other Stories'' (1993)
* ''Ghostwriting'' (1995)
* ''Four Tales'' (2000)
* ''The Sinister Cabaret'' (2001)
* ''Imelda'' (French translation 2006)
* ''My Wife’s Lovers'' (2007)

Non-fiction

* ''The Double in Nineteenth Century Fiction'' (1981)
* ''Voice Without Restraint: Bob Dylan’s Lyrics and their Background'' (1982)

Anthologies etc

* Murray, Isobel (ed) ''Scottish Writers Talking 3: Interviews With Janice Galloway, John Herdman, Robin Jenkins, Joan Lingard, Ali Smith ''
* Royle, Trevor (ed) ''Conversations with Scottish Writers No 4''

Articles

* ''Fionn MacColla: Art and Ideas'', in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), ''Cencrastus'' No. 13, Summer 1983, pp. 11 - 13,

Reviews

* review of ''Mercier and Camier'' by Samuel Beckett, in Burnett, Ray (ed.), ''Calgacus'' 1, Winter 1975, p. 58,
* review of ''Kafka in Context'' by John Hibberd, in Burnett, Ray (ed.), ''Calgacus'' 3, Spring 1976, pp. 53 & 54,
* review of ''The Life and Work of David Lindsay'' by Bernard Sellin, in Murray, Glen (ed.), ''Cencrastus'' No. 8, Spring 1982, pp. 43 & 44,
* review of ''Chronicle of a Death Foretold'' by Gabriel García Márquez, in Hearn, Sheila G. (ed.), ''Cencrastus'' No. 11, New Year 1983, pp. 38 & 39,

Further reading

1. References in books and periodicals
* Alan Bold, ''Modern Scottish Literature'', 1983, pp 259-60
* Douglas Gifford in ''Scottish Writing and Writers'', ed. Norman Wilson (Ramsay Head Press), 1977, pp 16-17
* Edwin Morgan, ''Twentieth Century Scottish Classics'' (Book Trust Scotland pamphlet), 1987, p 9
* Roderick Watson, ''The Literature of Scotland'', 1984, p 456; 2nd Edition, 2007, vol. II, The Twentieth Century, pp 260-61
* David Punter, "Heartlands: Contemporary Scottish Gothic", in ''Gothic Studies'', Vol. 1, No. 1, 1999,pp 101-18

2. Separate articles on John Herdman
* John Orr, ''Dark Horror and Black Humour: John Herdman and the Double in Scottish Fiction'', in ''Cencrastus'' No. 7, Winter 1981-82, pp 26-29
* Hugh Macpherson, ''Scottish Writers: John Herdman'', in ''Scottish Book Collector'', Vol. 3, No. 7, Oct.-Nov. 1992, pp 23-26 (this includes a Bibliography)
* Jennie Renton, ''A Window on John Herdman'', in ''Scottish Book Collector'', Vol. 5, No. 7, Winter 1996-97, pp 23-24
* Unpublished MA Dissertation University of Aberdeen, 1984: Richard Gordon, ''Seriousness and Saving Irony in the Fiction of John Herdman''
* Macdonald Daly, ''Interview with John Herdman'' (with a Bibliography), in ''Southfields'', six point one, 1999, pp. 85-101
* Jean Berton, ''De l'élimination de l'auteur dans Ghostwriting de John Herdman'', in ''Études Écossaises'', Numéro 8, Université de Stendhal-Grenoble 3, 2002, pp 131-145
* Jean Berton, ''Les Fantômes du Nouvel-Âge dans Ghostwriting de John Herdman'', in ''Études Écossaises'', Numéro 9, Université de Stendhal-Grenoble 3, 2003-4, pp 323-340
* Isobel Murray and Bob Tait, ''Interview with John Herdman'', in ''Scottish Writers Talking 3'', ed. Isobel Murray, John Donald, Edinburgh, 2006, pp 59-100
* Maïca Sanconie, Postface to ''Imelda'', trans. Maïca Sanconie, Quidam Editeur, Paris, 2006, pp 147-154
* Roderick Watson ''The Literature of Scotland: The Twentieth Century'', Macmillan International Higher Education, 1984 pp 260, 261

Reviews and review articles in periodicals

* Douglas Eadie, review of ''A Truth Lover'', ''Scottish International'' Volume 6, No. 7, September 1973, pp 38-40
* Frederic Lindsay, ''Both Sides of the Whale'' (review article on ''A Truth Lover''), ''Akros'', Vol. 8, No. 23, Dec. 1973, pp 38-42
* Bob Tait, ''Round the World in Eighty Ways'' (review article on ''Pagan's Pilgrimage''), ''Akros'', Vol. 13, No. 39, Dec. 1978, pp 126-31
* David Campbell, review of ''Pagan's Pilgrimage'', ''New Edinburgh Review'', Nos. 41-42, 1978, pp 66-67
* Peter Womack, ''Notes to Lyrics'', review of ''Voice Without Restraint'', in ''Cencrastus'' No. 9, Summer 1982, p.44,
* Tom (now known as Thom) Nairn, ''Innocence and Deviance'' (review of ''Three Novellas''), in ''Cencrastus'' No. 27, Autumn 1987, pp 23-24,
* Douglas Gifford, review of ''Three Novellas'', ''Books in Scotland'', No. 26, Winter 1987, p 14
* John Burns, review of ''Three Novellas'', ''Chapman'' No. 52 (Vol. 10, No. 3), Spring 1988, pp 91-92
* Douglas Gifford, review of ''Imelda and Other Stories'', ''Books in Scotland'' No. 47, Autumn 1993, pp 1-2
* Angela Finlayson, review of ''Imelda and Other Stories'', ''Chapman'' No. 81, 1995, pp 91-92
* Douglas Gifford, review of ''Ghostwriting'', ''Books in Scotland'' No. 59, Autumn 1996, pp 3-4
* Gavin Wallace, review of ''Ghostwriting'', '' Chapman'' No. 87, Autumn 1997, pp 95-97
* Isobel Murray, review of ''The Sinister Cabaret'', ''Scottish Studies Review'', Vol. 3, No. 1, Spring 2002, pp 138-140
* Andy Gloege, review of ''My Wife's Lovers'', ''Edinburgh Review'' No. 121 ("Made in Poland"), 2007,pp.183-4
* Josef Raszkowski, review of ''Stories Short and Tall'', in ''Cencrastus'' No. 2, Spring 1980, p. 41,
* Alan Taylor, ''Days of Poetry and Passion'' (review article on ''Another Country''), ''The Herald'' (The Arts supplement), October 5, 2013

References

Citations

External links

Official website

John Herdman: Another Country (Thirsty Books) by Alan Taylor

Page on Scottish Book Trust

Dark Tales from a Neglected Master

Best Scottish Books of 2013

‘The Heretics’ celebrate historic Edinburgh comeback

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herdman, John
1941 births
Living people
Scottish novelists
Writers from Edinburgh
20th-century Scottish novelists
21st-century Scottish novelists
20th-century British novelists
21st-century British novelists
Scottish dramatists and playwrights
Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge
People educated at Merchiston Castle School