''For the American tennis player, see Nancy Morrison.'' Agnes Morrison or Agnes Brysson Inglis Morrison; Nancy Morrison; Christine Strathern (24 December 1903 – 27 February 1986) was a Scottish writer. She wrote biographies, novels and some romantic fiction. Known for writing about Scottish history and for focusing on those usually lost to history.

Life

Morrison was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in 1903Agnes Morrison
/ref> to Arthur Mackie Morrison, engineer, son of a Glasgow baillie, and Agnes Brysson Morrison CBE, ''née'' Inglis. Her mother invented the idea of a "Flag Day" - this is not a Flag Day in the American meaning of the phrase, but a day set aside to gather funds for worthy causes when each contributor is given a small paper flag to wear as evidence of their gift. Several of Morrison's siblings were authors too. Morrison's first book was"''Breakers'', published under the androgynous name "N. Brysson Morrison". Her third book was her most popular. The ''Gowk Storm'' told the life of three sisters with the youngest as the narrator. ''The Gowk Storm'' (1933) was a Book Society Choice. It sold well and was adapted for the radio.Nancy Brysson Morrisson
Canongate.tv, Retrieved 27 June 2016 Morrison also secretly wrote popular romantic fiction under the name "Christine Strathern". This was kept so secret that the link was not discovered until 30 years after her death. Her 1949 novel ''The Winnowing Years'' won the first Frederick Niven Award. A biography of Morrison was written and published in 2013 by Mary Seenan. In 1971

Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist best known as a former member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his solo albums released in the 1970s. Born and raised ...

bought a copy of ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' by N. Brysson Morrison. Wakeman credits the book with inspiring his album The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Morrison wrote several biographies, novels and some romantic fiction. She was known for writing about Scottish history and for focusing on those usually lost to history. She died of cancer in St Mary's Hospital, London, on 27 February 1986. Her ashes are buried in her sister's grave in

Ballater Ballater (, gd, Bealadair) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, immediately east of the Cairngorm Mountains. Situated at an elevation of , Ballater is a centre for hikers and known for its spring water, once said to cure ...

, Scotland.

Works include

* Breakers (1930) * The Gowk Storm (1933) *When the Wind Blows (1937) *The Winnowing Years (1949) *The Hidden Fairing (1951) *The Keeper of Time (1953) *The Following Wind (1954) *Mary, Queen of Scots, (1960) non-fiction *Thea (1962)

Critical review

''"The Gowk Storm'' is one of the most atmospheric books I have ever read and the claustrophobia of the setting acts as a metaphor for the restrictions society places on these strong, intelligent and articulate young women. The symbolism of weather and the force of nature underpins the narrative. The weather is a character in itself, central to the main figures' lives; sometimes joyful, more often uncaring or malevolent, but always lovingly described and full of significance. What I love about the book is the detail; the way in which the author brings alive a character or place with economy and precision. The ferryman is 'a mere paring of a man', Christine Strathern's features are 'like a wax doll's which have melted ever so slightly at the fire'."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Agnes 1903 births 1986 deaths Writers from Glasgow Scottish women novelists 20th-century Scottish novelists Scottish biographers 20th-century British women writers British women biographers 20th-century Scottish women