William McIlvanney
William McIlvanney (born November 25, 1936 in Kilmarnock , Scotland , † December 5, 2015 in Netherlee near Glasgow ) was a British writer who is best known for crime novels and socially critical novels.
Life
William McIlvanney was born the son of a miner. He studied at Kilmarnock Academy and the University of Glasgow . He worked as a teacher for 17 years before he decided to just write. For his first novel Remedy is none , he received the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize . With Docherty , one of his most important socially critical novels, won McIlvanney the 1975 Whitbread Award . Numerous readers found his three crime novels set in Glasgow about the philologically studded, philosophically pensive, illusion-free detective Jack Laidlaw: Laidlaw , The Papers of Tony Veitch and Strange Loyalties . They provide a relentlessly realistic picture of the social upheaval in Glasgow in the 1970s and 1980s.
McIlvanney lived as a journalist and freelance writer in Glasgow. He fought vehemently for an independent Scotland.
Works
- Remedy is none . Novel. 1967.
- A Gift from Nessus . Novel. 1968.
- The Longships in Harbor . Poems. 1970.
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Laidlaw . Crime novel. 1977. (The first laidlaw novel.)
- Basically a very poor dog; German by Ute Tanner; Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1979. ISBN 3-499-42486-X
- also as: Laidlaw, same translation; Dumont, Cologne 1999. ISBN 3-7701-5020-1
- New translation: Laidlaw, German by Conny Lösch ; Kunstmann, Munich 2014. ISBN 978-3-88897-967-5
- Docherty . Novel. 1975.
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The Papers of Tony Veitch . Detective novel 1983. (The 2nd Laidlaw novel.)
- The search for Tony Veitch, German by Conny Lösch; Kunstmann, Munich 2015. ISBN 978-3-95614-022-8
- These Words: Wedding and After . Poems and essay. 1984.
- The Big Man . Novel. 1985.
- In through the head . Poems. 1988.
- Walking Wounded . Stories. 1989.
- Dreaming . Script. 1990.
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Strange loyalties . Detective novel. 1991. (The 3rd Laidlaw novel.)
- Stranger Loyalty, German by Conny Lösch; Kunstmann, Munich 2015. ISBN 978-3-95614-023-5
- Surviving the Shipwreck . Poems and essays. 1991.
- The Kiln . Novel. 1996.
Film adaptations
- A Gift from Nessus (episode of the TV series Play for Today ; directed by James Ormerod)
- The Big Man (US title: Crossing the Line / 1990, directed by David Leland )
- Dreaming (episode of Screen Two television series ; directed by Mike Alexander)
Awards
- 1967 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for Remedy is None
- 1968 Scottish Arts Council Book Award for A Gift from Nessus
- 1975 Scottish Arts Council Book Award for Docherty
- 1975 Whitbread Book Award (Best Novel) for Docherty
- 1977 Crime Writers' Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Laidlaw
- 1983 Crime Writers' Association Macallan Silver Dagger for The Papers of Tony Veitch
- 1992 Scottish Arts Council Awards for Surviving the Shipwreck and Strange Loyalties
- 2013 Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for Lifetime Achievement
Web links
- Literature by and about William McIlvanney in the catalog of the German National Library
- Obituary "William McIlvanney" in: heraldscotland.com . December 5, 2015, accessed December 6, 2015.
- Author's website at www.williammcilvanney.com
Individual evidence
- ^ William McIlvanney, the great Scottish writer, poet and political thinker, has died. In: heraldscotland.com. December 5, 2015, accessed December 5, 2015.
- ↑ a b c Bernd Graff: William McIlvanney has died. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, December 8, 2015, p. 14.
- ^ Hannes Hintermeier: Black Scotsman. William McIlvanney . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, December 9, 2015, p. 12.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | McIlvanney, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 25, 1936 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kilmarnock , Scotland , United Kingdom |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th December 2015 |
| Place of death | Netherlee , Glasgow , Scotland , United Kingdom |